There won't be a chapter coming tomorrow...
Also, I will be dropping the new fic by the end of next week at the latest. I still need to do extensive editing.
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Chapter 132
Dante
Everybody on the council got on the call a few minutes before the bombs were supposed to go off, and we started brainstorming.
"The answer is obvious," Tony Stark said. "We jam it or use a huge EMP. It will wipe out all comms on our side, but we can be sure the bombs won't go off. I have a jammer in my lab you can portal over and get, but no one has an EMP large enough to cover that campus."
"We do," I said. "It's magneto obviously."
"What are you going on about, boy?" Magneto demanded.
"I know what your real mutation is," I said. "I'm clairvoyant, remember? You control the entire electromagnetic spectrum, not just metal. You could put an end to this fight before it even begins."
Tony whistled. "That's frankly mind-boggling. I mean the sheer potential is…"
"World changing?" I questioned.
Fury was uncharacteristically quiet. Rin, who was standing beside me, smirked, and Jean, already used to my antics, shook her head.
"I'm beginning to get why the demons hate you so much," Magneto groaned. "What you're proposing is possible, but drawing on that much power in my old age…will have consequences."
"I've got a pick me up if you need it," I said. "You'll be back to full health in seconds."
"I find that hard to believe," Magneto countered. "If you had such an elixir why didn't you give it to your apprentice?"
"Frankly I didn't think he'd need it, but I clearly underestimated the threat," I defended. "The point is Pietro has used it twice, and even Kurt has gotten a taste. You'll be fine. The better question is are you even willing to do this? Risk your life for all of these non-mutant people."
"I joined the Council, didn't I?" Magneto grunted. "Get me that elixir, and I'll take care of the rest."
The rest of the meeting was a blur. Fury ordered Kurt to portal Magneto in, and Stark, Pietro, and I discussed backup plans.
"I don't doubt the old codger is powerful," Tony said, "but if he fails to perform, we could have a real mess on our hands. I say we get speedy over here to run down my jamming device. We can set it up just in case."
"He will," I said.
"Oh yeah?" Tony said. "Did your bullshit foresight powers tell you that?"
"They've not stirred me wrong yet," I said.
"Nonetheless, back up is prudent," Fury added. "I'll have Kurt and Pietro set it up."
Two minutes later, I was standing in front of a metal fountain in my cracked armor. Jean stood beside me in a red half-mask covering her face.
'Do you think this is going to work?' she asked.
'His pride won't let him,' I said. 'Besides, he has too much to gain—public display of heroism, scoring browny points with the public and other mutants. Plus, he doesn't want to look inadequate in front of both of us.'
Magneto's face scrunched in concentration, and my Devil's eye flashed red, observing as pools of energy poured off of him.
'Why would he care what we thought?' Jean asked, genuinely confused.
'You're the strongest omega level mutant alive, and I am a powerful demon who can produce tonics powerful enough to heal virtually any wound. We're his allies/competition.'
'When you put it like that…it does make sense,' Jean said.
'Still, on the off-chance that he does fail, we still have Kilgrave. It's unclear whether she was just using him as another pawn, but he's far too effective to sacrifice...but then again, Domina sacrificed her sister.'
'I suppose all we can do is wait and see.'
Thankfully, we didn't have to wait too long. Magneto's eyes shone white, and a second later, a visible wave of energy poured out. It rolled out, cutting through cars, buildings, and everything in between. Lights winked out, cars stopped, and phones went dead.
Magneto crashed down with a heave, and he started searching through his pocket desperately for the potion. He uncorked it and downed it greedily and visibly marveled as it regained color and his exhaustion vanished.
I approached him with a smile. "You succeeded, as expected."
He merely grunted. I tried offering him a hand as he rose to his feet, but he refused it. "Was there any doubt?" he asked, looking Jean's way. Although our entire conversation had been telepathic, it didn't take a genius to figure out what we were thinking.
"I suppose we'll know for sure in a few minutes," Jean said. "We're two minutes out from the time limit."
---
Things rapidly de-escalated after we set off the EMP. Jean sent out a mental command that herded people away from major centers, and we gathered the strike team, plus Magneto, Pietro, and Wanda.
Wanda seemed to be chatting animatedly with her brother while I caught Rin passing her glances. I smirked and watched as the seconds ticked down to the dreaded deadline.
It came and passed without event, and I let out a massive sigh of relief. Saving New York and capturing Isha wouldn't have mattered, not certainly in the eyes of the World Council, the press, or our potential council members.
T'challa and the Hellfire club were still in limbo, and from all accounts, Bruce thinks we're heroes.
There was also a side benefit for not blowing up. It meant I could look forward to gutting Domina.
Speak of the Devil, the phone that Domina handed Kilgrave started to buzz in my pocket. I had protected it from the EMP Magneto let out by saving it in my vault.
"Is that—" Clint began.
"Yeah," I said. "I suppose we should hear that the witch had to say." We all shared looks, but no one said a word. In one afternoon, Domina had cemented herself as my most terrifying adversary yet. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the slightest bit nervous.
"You have him, don't you?"
Domina's voice was silky and even. She sounded more amused than bothered.
"Who, the Pedo-Rapist teenager playing as a man?" I questioned. "You really saved us the trouble of tracking him down."
"Well, you can't keep him," she chuckled.
"Or what, you'll blow up the campus?" I scoffed. "Everything with an electrical pulse is dead. You've failed on every front."
"Have I now?" she mused, and my heart skipped a beat.
"I heard you have a thing for bombs made with demon magic," she said. "Lethally effective, some might say, and unreliant on human means like, say electricity."
"No," I shook my head, "you're bluffing."
"There are seven bombs scattered throughout campus, all set to explode 12 minutes from now. If you don't give me what I want, I'll have one of them go off."
I exchanged nervous looks with everyone present, including Jean. She had her senses spread wide, searching for anomalies, but the campus was too fucking large.
My eyes met Natasha's, and I saw the doubt in them.
"She has to be lying," Clint added.
"Prove it," I demanded, and Domina laughed.
The phone was quiet for a split second before an explosion went off in the distance. My breath hitched, and my chest tightened.
"You asshole!"
"Oh relax, big guy," she laughed. "That was on the edge of campus and completely deserted, and it is my only warning shot. Give him back to me all of the remaining bombs will go off."
"I know you don't want to hear this, but you have to give her what she wants," Clint was the first to speak, but everyone else was vehemently against him.
"No," they sounded out like a chorus.
Their words pulled in separate directions, but the choice became crystal clear when I looked into Jean's eyes.
"Well let him go, but we have conditions."
Domina chuckled. "Do you think you're in any position to negotiate."
"Yes," I answered truthfully. "Considering how far you're willing to go to save this asshole, you must fucking need him for whatever plot you have going on. I slit his throat and I kill your plans in its infancy. Sure, a ton of people will die on campus, but the mental calculus is really simple. A few hundred lives vs. the rest of the world. People might hate me for it, but you already have the entire underground world gunning for me, what's a few billion more."
"I know a bluff when I hear it."
"Do you now?" I questioned as I stomped toward Kilgrave, who was gagged and bound. I socked him hard in the stomach, causing him to wretch, and I held the cell phone to his muffled mouth.
The scream came out disjointed and muted, and everybody passed me looks, but no one outright objected either. On some level, they knew this was necessary, even Captain America.
"Let's get one thing straight Domina. I'm not in this to save the fucking world. I'm in it for revenge and paper. As long as the job gets done, I'm not sweating the collateral damage."
"Son," Captain America spoke up, "you need to slow your roll."
But I powered on.
"Here's what's going to happen. You're going to round up some demons and portal them over in 15 minutes to fetch Kilgrave. However, during those 15 minutes, you'll tell us the location of every last bomb. If you try to trick us, he dies. Go against your word, and he dies. I could go on, but I think you get the gist."
"You have some balls, I'll admit, but what makes you think I won't just decimate you during the exchange or keep coming after this is done."
"Because you don't the firepower," I said. "We have multiple Omega-level mutants on our side, a pissed-off sorcerer supreme, and enough information to dirt to bury all of your legitimate businesses."
"I just burned New York to the ground. Do you think I care about what you do to my reputation?"
"Maybe you should," I said. "You might not care, but I bet your other forty something siblings do. They're scattered all over, aren't they? It'd be a shame if everything you've been working toward disappears overnight."
She let out a long, sonorous laugh. "Isha was talkative towards the end, wasn't she?"
"She didn't have to be," I said. "I don't know if you've heard but I'm clairvoyant."
"You're certainly dedicated to your bit," she mused, "and make fine points. I'll trade you the information for Kilgrave. Obviously, if you fail to deliver him unspoiled, then--"
"Boom. I get it, but that deal goes both ways. I will personally slit his throat and then yours if you double-cross me."
Domina was oddly forthcoming after our little discussion, but I wasn't under the delusion that she was being straight with me.
We raised an evacuation order for all seven locations Domina claimed to have supposedly hidden her bomb and split up into teams. Each one had at least one superpowered person. The ordinary agents were paired with the strongest of us. It was a blow to their egos, but it was necessary.
Everyone who had been paying attention knew Domina would try to stab us in the back. After a brief conversation with Fury, we'd decided to set up a brutally effective contingency plan Jean had only been too glad to enact.
Advanced mind control.
With Jean's control over her powers being more precise than ever, it was easy to mentally take Kilgrave off the board completely.
First, Jean started with a complicated hypnotic trigger.
She convinced Kilgrave that he'd bitten off his tongue during the fight and, as a consequence, lost the ability to use his powers.
To make sure that Domina and her goons couldn't somehow circumvent her trance when it went into effect. She built a wall around Kilgrave's mind and installed a mental trip wire that would go off if somebody tried breaking or circumventing the wall.
In the unlikely effect that she somehow failed, Jean embedded another trance that would make Kilgrave relive the powerlessness that all of his victims went through, using Jean's experience as a base.
The memory was supposed to replay hundreds of times and render Kilgrave suicidal. As if that wasn't cruel enough, she slipped in one final command to make Kilgrave's hallucinations a reality.
"Bite your tongue and choke on your own blood."
Fury didn't know the particulars of her mental deadman switch, but I assured him it was considerable and effective. Surprisingly, he also approved of how I handled the negotiation with Domina. It was likely the best deal we'd get, considering the circumstances.
Natasha was my partner in the bomb search, and we found our target easily enough. The entire time she walked she maintained a passive face and followed behind just as we planned, but her mind was frantic the entire time. Fury was worried by my sudden power-up and was fast-tracking something called Prometheus. I could've pushed further for it, but Natasha had considerable training with mind control, and I didn't want to tip her and Fury off that I now had that ability.
From what I gleaned from the surface of her mind, I got the impression that Prometheus was an advanced form of the Supersoldier Serum.
Fury was desperate to replace me as number one, but Natasha thinks that even supersoldiers wouldn't be enough to stop me if I went bad.
She was searching for a potential pressure point but was on the fence about seduction. I didn't strike her as particularly pliable, not anymore.
Natasha and I found our bomb easily enough and slowly started to take it apart. After asking Nat to give me a considerable berth, I opened the containment and started to diffuse it. It didn't blow up in my face as expected, and I was able to store the leftover parts in my inventory before moving on.
Pretty soon, we were all assembled back at the square with all of the super-enabled members of our team and a few sonic tanks and high-powered rifles. Fury had not shown up himself, but he'd sent his best agents and firepower.
Domina was dressed in a casual bomber jacket, a shirt, and jeans. The color of her hair and eyes gave her an exotic feel, and the amused smirk on her face reminded me of myself if I was a little more unhinged.
"You came alone? You either have bigger balls than me…or you have some contingency plan and are about to double cross us."
I identified her with Devil's Eye.
Domina, the Calamity
Fourth Child of Belasco, and leader of the Hand and the Japanese Underground. She's toppled countless gangs, crushed all vigilantes in Japan, and brought the entire country to heel in preparation for the arrival of the demons. She wields Density magic, is a martial master, and is an enchanter with considerable skill.
"You said bring strong soldiers. I am the strongest," she said with a dismissive shrug. "Besides, did you think I'd miss a chance to see your…armor?" She raised a brow as she scanned my armor up and down—her eyes lingering on the runes. "You're just chock full of mysteries, aren't you?"
"Make one wrong move and he's ash," I said to her, hand hovering over Kilgrave's head.
"I'd expect nothing else," she said.
Kilgrave, who knelt beside me and Jean, looked up to Domina with hopes in his beady little eyes. Domina winked at him but then suddenly narrowed her eyes. Her lips formed a thin line.
'She knows somehow,' Jean sent with a panicked mental message, and my muscles tightened.
"I made you a promise, didn't I?" She said, never taking her eyes off Kilgrave. "I always keep my promises."
Several explosions went off in the distance, but they were nowhere near campus. It stunned me, even though I'd been expecting the double cross, and Domina used that to her advantage.
Faster than I could blink, she was behind Jean punching. Her fist collided against a telekinetic shield. Domina didn't break through, surprising her quite a bit, but Jean didn't remain still either. The punch sent her and her bubble flying into the distance.
I activated Devil Trigger just as she reached for Kilgrave. Black and Red fire swarmed around me and Kilgrave as I transformed using Devil Trigger. It reduced the mutant to ash and left me standing in front of Domina, who was wearing a vindictive grin.
"You went back on your word," I said, "and now your man is dead."
"He was dead the second that Telepath of yours got into his mind."
"Then why did you come," I growled.
"To see the kind of man I am fighting," she said. "I need to know how you think If I'm going to break you."
I scoffed. "You're not some fucking Saturday morning villain. Get over yourself."
"Why don't you come over and make me?"
"I'll enjoy ripping out your throat."
"Not of we do it first," Magneto announced.
The SHIELD agents opened fire, and the mutants struck. Metal rods speared out from the ground and bounced off her skin, and Wanda fired bolts of pink light at her.
Waves of sonic cannon fire enveloped Domina, startling her slightly. I capitalized on the weakness by rocketing forward with a triple Burst and packing enough demonic fire in my fist to flatten a small building. I laid into her with a roar.
Netherfire swallowed half of the square, instantly turning the metal statue to slag, melting the asphalt, and scorching the buildings several feet behind.
When the fire mellowed out a bit, Domina was nowhere to be found. It was then I heard a cry behind me. She'd stuffed her hand through Kurt's stomach and was gunning for Wanda next. I flashed in front of her, taking the blow with my crossed hands. Surprisingly, it shredded through my greaves and cracked the bones in my hands.
Domina smirked as she swiped at me, aiming to swat me to the side, but Moment of Sage activated, and I went off on her. I flared my demonic energy, and instead of channeling Fire like I typically did, I channeled Density. My energy shifted, gaining an ethereal Marron cloak, and the ground underneath me shattered as my Density skyrocketed.
There was a thunderclap when my fist collided with her face. It shoved her back several dozen feet, drawing a line in the asphalt. A line of blood trailed down her mouth.
"Not bad," she said, licking her lips. "Fire, Density, and strange Angel Magic. You're just as interesting as your brother. Shame I don't have more time to fight you. Your little sidekick is here."
On Cue, the ground underneath Domina suddenly shattered as Jean landed beside me, furious. She unleashed all of her telekinetic might on the Cambion, rooting her firmly in place. I immediately went for the opening, filling my body up with even more energy as I charged her. She locked eyes with me even as Jean's hold over her tightened. Domina winked at me before vanishing.
----
Domina
I reappeared in my bedroom at the Tokyo headquarters with a scowl on my face and blood running down the side of my cheeks. They were better than I expected, much stronger. After Kilgrave, N'tesh, and Isha failed, I'd been hoping they'd be weaker, but it was clear I'd underestimated Dante and his girlfriend yet again.
The other mutants would've been a breeze, even the metal manipulator, but Dante had somehow managed to match me and draw blood. That should've been…impossible.
I wiped off the blood from my chin as the cut on my lip started to heal. I sensed a presence approaching my room.
"Come in," I commanded before the Cambion even knocked, and she walked in.
She froze when she saw my face. She was one of the younger Cambion, not even 20 years old, but if she'd been two decades older, the shock would've still been the same.
Domina Belasco did not bleed. I could already see the panicked thoughts running through her mind.
"Stop gawking and give me a mission report, Agora," I snapped. "We're we successful? Did you get the viruses."
"Yes," she said with a deep bow and then added slowly, "but I was not able to remain undetected. One of the guards at the New York facility was a mutant. He attacked, I killed him, and everything spiraled out of control from that point."
I fixed her with an annoyed glare, and I was tempted to reduce her head into a fine mist, but that'd be wasteful, and besides, we got what we needed. The humans won't be able to stop it anyway.
"These things happen," I waved. "You did well, Agora."
Nobody liked getting their asses kicked, but achieving two of the four goals I'd set out to accomplish put me in a good mood. The serum was an excellent start, but the Viruses were what it was all about.
The humans had already lost the war; they didn't just know it yet. It didn't matter whether they know we were coming. Biological warfare was outlawed for a reason.