David's deal with Nathaniel Essex had been months in the making, a careful negotiation balanced on mutual gain, shrouded in half-truths and unspoken promises. It was no small task securing the trust of someone as meticulous and secretive as Essex, but David had managed it, honing his proposal like a weapon. This morning, their meeting would finalize everything.
They sat across from each other in Essex's dimly lit study, surrounded by shelves stacked with odd scientific equipment and darkly gleaming vials. Essex examined David with his ever-cool, calculating stare, his fingers steepled before him.
"So, Mr. Howlett, Ahmm David," Essex began, voice smooth as polished glass, "we understand each other. I will provide you with the resources and expertise you need to maintain control of your territories as well as the laboratories, the advanced weaponry, and the medical insights I alone can offer. And in return?"
David nodded, a glint of satisfaction in his eye. "In return, you'll have access to my captives and specimens, if you like, for your experiments. I'll also establish secure trade lines between our territories and make my influence in the Hellfire Club available to you." He allowed a slight pause. "On the condition that the technology you develop in your labs remains exclusive to the Howlett estate and remains untraceable to us both. Nothing ties you to us, or us to you."
Essex leaned forward, his eyes glittering with anticipation. "I have no interest in crossing that line. And you'll find I am a man of my word." He took out a small metallic device, no larger than a coin. "This," he said, placing it on the desk between them, "is a prototype communication device based on advanced sound frequencies. It's how we'll communicate, undetected by any standard means."
David picked up the device, turning it over thoughtfully. "This setup is perfect. The less connection between us, the better. Our shared interests will remain, but our association…discreet as it should be."
Essex gave a thin smile. "Exactly. And as long as you continue delivering the results you've promised; the captives, their unique abilities, whatever else you can find—you'll find me a willing ally." He extended his hand, thin and ghostly in the lamplight. David shook it firmly.
The pact was sealed.
Without further delay, David rose. He knew that every day spent in London was a day of vulnerability, especially now that he had secured the Crown's tentative approval and built bridges within the Hellfire Club. His estate in the Northwestern Territories needed him, and so did his people.
"I'll return to the Northwestern Territory by morning," David said, slipping the communicator into his pocket. "I expect progress on the initial experiments when I arrive back."
Essex inclined his head, a glint of hidden amusement in his gaze. "You'll have everything you desire and more, Mr. Howlett. Travel safely."
As David departed, he cast a final, measured look over his shoulder at Essex's laboratory, a place of secrets, a place where the boundary between science and madness was thin as silk. He would return to his lands, his people, but with the secure knowledge that here in London, under the guise of an alliance, he had forged something far more powerful. Soon, his enemies would discover that the Howletts were no longer playing by the old rules.
***
David's carriage rattled away from Essex's estate, disappearing into the London mist. Only minutes later, however, the air itself seemed to pulse, shimmering with an unnatural light. A moment later, two figures materialized in the very spot where David's carriage had passed. A man and a woman materialized out of nowhere.
The man is tall and athletic, with a muscular build that reflects his years of rigorous training. He has a squared jawline and strong, chiseled facial features that remain partially obscured by his a sleek, red band that wraps around his head, emitting a soft crimson glow. His hair is short and dark brown, styled in a neat, no-nonsense cut. Dressed in a streamlined, dark blue combat suit reinforced with armor plating along the shoulders, chest, and forearms. The suit looks to have been designed for mobility and durability, fitting closely to his form and allowing ease of movement, while emphasizing his powerful physique.
The woman is of average height with a lithe, athletic build, her figure graceful yet strong. Her long red hair flows in loose, fiery waves that reach her shoulders, often catching the light with a glimmer that hints at her intense power. She has striking green eyes and finely defined facial features, which are both soft and intense. She wears a close-fitting red and gold suit that features a phoenix emblem across the chest. The fabric is sleek and flexible, allowing her to move fluidly, with gold gloves and boots that accentuate the design and give her an otherworldly, regal appearance.
En Sabah Nur, who had watched David's departure from a nearby vantage, sensed the disturbance before he even saw them. His lips curled in satisfaction as he moved to intercept, his hulking figure melting into the shadows and reappearing before the time-traveling pair. His mere presence felt like a force pressing down on the air.
"So," Nur intoned, his voice dark as a storm, "they've sent children of the future to interfere with destiny." He scanned them with a look of disdain. "Do you truly believe you can stand against me?"
Cyclops's visor flashed red, and he raised his head, chin set in defiance. "We don't need to believe. We're here to stop you from meddling with this time, from twisting it to suit your vision of control."
Phoenix stood beside him, her eyes narrowed, radiating a focused aura of power. "This era's already fragile. We're not letting you destabilize it any further."
Nur chuckled, the sound a low, rumbling threat. "You think your powers are sufficient to command my attention? I am beyond you, mortals. But if it is a fight you seek…"
Without warning, he lunged, faster than they could anticipate, bringing his fist down like a hammer. Cyclops reacted, aiming a powerful optic blast that blazed red-hot in the dim morning light. The beam struck Nur, pushing him back slightly, but he absorbed it with a barely suppressed grin.
"Futile," he growled, swiping forward with a devastating energy strike. Cyclops dodged, barely, as the air crackled with residual power. Nur's form shifted, his armor gleaming as he summoned even greater strength, drawing from the ancient energies he had accumulated over centuries.
Phoenix's eyes glowed, and she raised her hands, summoning a telekinetic wave that crashed down on Nur. For a moment, he staggered, his body cracking and shifting under the onslaught. She pushed harder, her brow furrowed in concentration, but Nur's body adapted, absorbing the psychic energy like a sponge.
He laughed, twisting to face her directly. "You wield fire, child, but you lack the strength to master it."
Cyclops moved to shield her, unleashing another optic blast at close range. The beam hit Nur with full force, but he barely flinched. Instead, he retaliated with a swipe of his arm, sending Cyclops flying back against the stone wall with bone-jarring force.
Phoenix's eyes blazed with fury as she unleashed a psychic attack with the full force of her powers, aiming to overwhelm him on every plane—physical, mental, and emotional. For a moment, Nur's expression flickered with strain as her power pressed against his mind, probing for weaknesses, trying to break his defenses.
But then, with a snarl, he pushed back, overpowering her with sheer will. Phoenix gasped, dropping to one knee as she struggled to hold her ground.
"You two," Nur sneered, "are nothing but fireflies against the sun. You're out of your depth." He moved forward, pinning Cyclops to the ground with a single, crushing grip while simultaneously blocking Phoenix's telepathic assault with a flicker of his own mental defenses.
Just as quickly as it had begun, the battle was over. Cyclops, bruised and barely conscious, was sprawled beneath Nur's foot, while Phoenix was left clutching her temples, her strength drained.
Nur stepped back, releasing Cyclops with a dismissive shove. He considered them both, a mixture of amusement and disdain on his face. "You came all this way from the future," he mused, "only to be shown your inadequacy."
Then his gaze sharpened. "But I think I'll keep you alive...at least for now. Essex will appreciate the opportunity to study you. And who knows? Perhaps I will even find some use for you." He gestured, and a nearby group of shadowy figures emerged, they are agents loyal to Essex. They moved in to collect the fallen Cyclops and Phoenix, binding them in restraints designed to neutralize their powers.
Nur watched as they were taken away, his expression unreadable. The battle had given him what he wanted: two powerful mutants, specimens from a future he could now dissect and understand. By analyzing their strengths, he would gain knowledge, and with Essex's expertise, they could unlock new potential and perhaps even ensure that the future bent in his favor. If David was here, he would have been elated because of their arrival.
As the sun rose over London, Nur turned his gaze toward the east, feeling the threads of fate weave tighter around him. David's ambitions, Essex's experiments, the time-travelers' desperate intervention, they were all pawns in his grander vision, one in which the weak would fall, and the strong would rise supreme. And in his mind, there was no question as to which side he stood on.
"Take them," he commanded, his voice low and final. "Let Essex make his little experiments. And if they survive… perhaps they will learn what true power is."
With that, he vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only a faint ripple of energy as a reminder of his presence, and a lingering dread for those who dared to cross him. The Marauders swallowed their saliva in fear and awe of En Sabba Nur who is both ruthless and powerful.