Queen of the Damned
Posted on Mon Nov 11th, 2024 @ 7:09pm by Charles Xavier & Emma Frost
2,892 words; about a 14 minute read
Mission:
Episode 5: Days of Fortune Past
Location: Astral Plane
Timeline: November 11th, 1990
Professor Xavier sat behind his desk and watched as the warm afternoon light filtered through the window, casting long shadows across the polished wood. His hands were steepled together, his brow furrowed in deep thought as he reviewed a pile of documents spread across the surface—evidence linking the Hellfire Club to more insidious acts than even he had anticipated. The chair in front of him was occupied by Hank McCoy, looking worn but triumphant, a folder clutched tightly in his hand.
"Charles," Hank said, his voice low, laden with exhaustion yet touched by a note of triumph, "they found everything. X-Factor traced every cent, every shell corporation, every political payoff. The Hellfire Club is directly funding the Friends of Humanity, the Sentinel program, and the key backers of the Mutant Registration Act. They're using anti-mutant propaganda to line their pockets and tighten their control. What they’re doing in the United States appears to be a template being rolled out to every major world nation."
Xavier flipped open the top folder again and rescanned the damning evidence inside—financial records, memos, and contracts all linking the Hellfire Club to the various schemes that had caused so much pain. His eyes stopped on a particular sheet detailing tax evasion. A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Tax evasion?" Xavier said softly, with a hint of humor cutting through the somber air. "Of all things, it seems fitting. If it was enough to bring down Al Capone, it may just be the thread that unravels the Hellfire Club."
Hank didn’t return the smile. His eyes remained fixed on the floor as he sat heavily in one of the leather chairs opposite Xavier's desk. "It's bigger than just finances, Charles. Political bribery, corporate corruption... They’ve built an empire on fear and hate, and now they’ve crossed every line. This... this could bring them down for good."
Xavier’s smile faded, replaced by a more solemn expression. He closed the folder gently and set it aside, leaning back in his chair. "Yes, Hank. It’s all here. But at what cost?" His tone softened as his thoughts turned to Jace Shaw—once a young man with so much potential, now fully immersed in the darkness of his family legacy. "Jace," Xavier murmured, his eyes distant. "He claimed his inheritance as Shinobi Shaw and became twice the devil his father was. I had hoped... so much for him. But now..."
Hank’s face twisted with a flash of anger, then sorrow. "Jace... Sebastian was a tyrant, but Shinobi is something worse. Ruthless and far more cunning. The Hellfire Club is already thriving under his leadership."
Xavier’s eyes fell to the evidence again. "I always knew there was darkness in the Hellfire Club, but to see it now, laid bare in these documents... it’s more extensive, more vile than I could have imagined. But we will stop them, Hank. We must bring them to justice, not just for Warren and Mara, for every mutant whose lives have been shattered by their machinations."
Hank met Xavier's gaze. "Yes, Charles. But the question remains—what do we do next? The evidence is there, but the web they've woven... it'll take everything we have to dismantle it."
Xavier’s voice was steady, though a sadness lingered in his tone. "We must proceed carefully, Hank. They have deep connections, and this is more than just exposing them. It's about changing the very system they’ve corrupted. The world must see them for what they truly are."
“Indeed.” Hank rose from his chair, his large frame making it creak. “If you’ll excuse me, Charles, I must return to the lab. The synthesis of the nanotech countermeasures is at a delicate stage, and I can’t afford to lose any more time.” His voice was heavy with exhaustion, but beneath it was the fire of urgency, the determination to undo the damage wrought by his own research. “I’ll keep you updated on the progress.” With a brief nod between them, Hank exited the room, leaving Xavier alone with the damning information.
Xavier's gaze drifted back to the scattered documents, his mind already working through the connections. Time was of the essence, so the Hellfire Club needed to be slowed down. If the X-Men were to cripple their operations long enough for the legal system to catch up, then decisive action was needed. But where? Xavier sighed and rubbed his temples.
“I think that concludes today’s meeting, gentlemen. You all know what to do.” Emma provided her staff with a cool, yet courteous smile, her piercing blue eyes giving little away over the turmoil that was seething inside of her. As the men collected their things and made their departure from the conference room, Emma stood and made her way to the oversized windows that lined the highrise building.
She briefly caught her reflection in the glass, her sharply tailored suit that radiated authority and the sculpted lines of her platinum blonde hair accentuated her icy, composed demeanor. Emma was a vision in white, a color she couldn’t quite give up despite her loss of the title of ‘White Queen’. It was the pride and power of Frost that made it impossible for her to deny herself the things that still felt right.
In fact, it was those niggling feelings of dignity and self-respect that haunted her after the disaster that was the Hellfire Gala. She had found Shinobi, wasting away at the sycophant’s school, and knew he was the key to restoring the proper glory and power that the Hellfire Club deserved. Her dream was to achieve that level of excellence that had been missing since Sebastian Shaw’s demise. So she tempted the teenager with visions of greatness and all the wealth his heart desired, only for him to take it with a degree of reckless greed she had never encountered before. Shinobi Shaw was turning into a tyrant and megalomaniac, which would have been fine had Emma held his leash, but now he was unstoppable. A ticking time bomb of a mutant that they were all just waiting on to explode. And at the end of the day, all of that felt wrong to Emma, so wrong that it made it hard for her to ignore it and move past her days as the White Queen.
Emma knew she would have to make some sacrifices and she would have to eat some crow in order to make these nagging pains go away. Two acts she loathed, Emma was luxury and awe, admiration and fear, anything that made her appear any other way was deplorable at best. So it was with some hesitation that she made her next move.
~ Charles Xavier ~ Emma reached out to the fellow telepath just as he had done before. She knew he was the only person who could help fix the disaster that she had created. ~ I need to speak with you, can you join me in the Astral Plane? ~
As the psychic impulse struck him, Charles Xavier traded one reverie for another. The intention was not an attack; it would be impossible to veil such hostility. It had been only a matter of time before the X-Men faced retaliation from the Hellfire Club, a fact which added a personal incentive to bring them to their knees. Even if the world were saved, the Inner Circle could marshal a considerable army to snuff them out given sufficient time.
Now Emma wished to parley. Given the information to which Xavier was already privy, it meant she was dangerous. What remained to be decided was to whom the danger belonged.
The room was silent as Charles Xavier sat behind his desk, his hands resting gently atop the smooth surface. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, and allowed his mind to stretch beyond the physical confines of his body. The world around him blurred, losing all shape and color as his consciousness ascended to another realm. His body remained motionless in the physical world, but his psychic essence, aglow with immense strength, began its journey to the Astral Plane.
Suddenly, a ripple tore through the void as Xavier's astral form materialized, bathed in a radiant light that pulsed with the power of his mind. His form shimmered with a brilliant aura of gold and silver, every line of his face etched with the clarity of his stalwart purpose. He stood tall, his presence both serene and commanding. A long train followed behind him like a regnal dignitary, illuminated by the glow of his psychic energy, and his eyes, glowing a soft blue, seemed to pierce through the very fabric of the Astral Plane itself.
As he stepped forward, each movement sent waves of energy cascading outward, rippling through the psychic ether. The very air seemed to bend to his will, reshaping itself as he traversed the formless environment. He had not come to battle but to parley, and yet his power was unmistakable as a force that demanded both respect and caution.
In the distance, she awaited him—Emma Frost, the White Queen—her own astral form a sharp contrast to his radiance. Cold, pristine, and formidable in her alabaster glow, she stood with a regal poise as another who was accustomed to wielding power. As Xavier drew closer, their eyes met, and for a brief moment, the plane seemed to hum with the tension of two psychic giants facing one another.
"Emma," Xavier's voice reverberated through the expanse, rich and sonorous, yet calm as ever. His glowing form cast light across the darkness that swirled around them. He had come for dialogue, not domination, yet the vast reservoir of his psychic essence shimmered around him like a crown, undeniable and eternal. "You called."
“Yes.” Emma paused before she continued, brushing away an invisible piece of lint from the arm of her impeccable white suit. “I wanted to talk to you about Shinobi Shaw and the problem he has become.”
Xavier frowned at the mention of that name. “At last we spoke, he was known by another name. He had another life. A good life. He knew purpose beyond himself and his own wants. It was a noble future that was before him. And, like the tempting serpent of old, you led him astray.” His words were not cruel but neither were they gentle. Gone was the usual equanimous measure in Xavier’s daily speech. This was righteous fury and triumphal vindication. “I am only grateful we managed to save Kennedy. So, tell me, White Queen, what is it you wanted to say about the problem you have made?”
“Tsk, Tsk, Xavier, and you call yourself a telepath. I think you need to have a conversation with your dear friend Erik before you place all the blame of Shinobi’s demise on me.” Emma folded her arms across her chest in a defiant and proud pose before she continued. “I offered him what he was entitled to have. As for Ms. Kelly…” she paused and examined her nails for a moment, her tone dreary and bored. “It’s wonderful that you brought her home. I hope she’s doing well.”
“But I digress.” Emma clapped her hands together as she returned to the matter at hand. “Regardless of how Shinobi came to be, we are both in agreement that he is a powder keg ready to explode. He’s power hungry and reckless and Operation Zero Tolerance is a step too far. For my own personal reasons I cannot take action against him nor can I go through the proper channels to make him stop. So I have come to the conclusion that you and your X-Men are the only solution to this problem.”
Xavier narrowed his glowing eyes at the mention of Erik. If there was ever a time for Magneto to make an appearance on the world stage, it was now. And yet he had been silent. Did he fit into Jace…Shinobi’s plot somehow? “Surely you did not come merely to tell me what I already know. My X-Men will rise to the call while you continue to sit back and hedge your bets. If you have a proposition to make beyond that obvious scenario, then I bid you make it without gilding the lily.”
“I prefer roses.” Emma dared to sneak in a small quip before she continued. “I will give you the location of the Sentinel Manufacturing Plant. These new sentinels are made with a Mother Mold rather than that obsolete Master Mold. The speed at which they are produced… well… it would make Henry Ford green with envy. I am going to give you the address and the security codes so your X-Men can go there and destroy the place and its Sentinels and most importantly destroy that Mother Mold.”
Xavier folded his hands in front of him, his eyes never leaving Emma’s. Despite the casual quip about roses, he could feel the weight of what she wasn’t saying—her fear, her regret. But this wasn’t the time for indulgences. Her defiance, even now, was only a thin veil over the truth she already knew.
"In the spirit of cooperation," Xavier began, his voice calm but steely, "I’m going to offer you some helpful information as well. You’re out, Emma. Not just from the Hellfire Club, but from any position of power you’ve clung to. The title of White Queen has already been stripped from you, but know that the federal government has already begun seizing assets under RICO charges. You were always a sharp player, but this time… your former colleagues have left you holding the bag."
He allowed a pause to sink in, watching her carefully. “Harry Leland’s demise exposed weaknesses, particularly as the Inner Circle began to devour their own as you are wont to do. Your colleagues picked Leland’s territory clean while leaving you to take the fall for Operation Zero Tolerance should it backfire.” Xavier couldn’t hold back a smirk at the karmic irony. “You’re the perfect patsy. They’ve hidden warehouses full of Sentinel parts, bank accounts funding mutant trafficking, all under your holdings. The Department of Justice knows this, and so do I. The only question left is how you’ll respond.”
Emma’s mask of indifference wavered slightly, but Xavier continued, pressing the truth upon her.
"You can rally a legal defense, muster all the resources you have left, maybe even make a show of force against what remains of the Inner Circle. But you know as well as I do, that’s not the path you should take." His voice dropped, becoming quieter, but more intense. "The road to redemption begins with you falling on your sword. You can confess. Surrender everything—your assets, your secrets, your power. Submit to the government, let them scrutinize every ill-gotten gain, and let them take it all. In doing so, Emma, you might just save lives. You might become something none of them could ever be—something you’ve never allowed yourself to be."
He watched as the implications of his words began to stir within her. "A martyr."
Xavier leaned forward. "If you confess, if you forsake everything you’ve done, I’ll put my considerable resources behind seeing that you receive leniency. Perhaps even clemency. You’ll lose your empire, but you’ll save your soul—and you might help take down Shinobi Shaw in the process. But if you resist… if you fight against justice for your own gain, I will wash my hands of you. I’ll leave you to be torn apart by the DOJ and the Inner Circle alike. Because make no mistake, Emma—justice will come for you, one way or another."
With an air of finality, Xavier concluded. "The choice is yours. But know this—what you do next will define the rest of your life. So I suggest you make it count."
A muscle in Emma’s jaw feathered but her gaze remained icy and collected. Her connections to the Hellfire Club ran deep including her financial assets, in order for the money laundering to work it had to change hands across many enterprises.
Emma raged and seethed inside but her demeanor remained cool as her thoughts turned towards revenge. “If I willingly take the fall, will it stop the Hellfire Club?”
“You know the answer to that question better than I do,” Xavier said. “My X-Men can stop the Sentinels. You can stop their controller. If you don't, there will merely be another facility in operation, one that you cannot access.” He lowered his tone. “Your choice is a singular one. I will await to see if you wield the courage and conviction to make it.”
“I shall have to sleep on it, Charles.” Emma refused to give him an answer right then and there, an eager woman was an undignified one. “But thank you for this rousing game of quid pro quo. As promised, the address and security information for the Sentinel Manufacturing Plant.” A cool rush of telepathic power passed through Charles and the details were provided.
Xavier bowed his head. “Thank you,” he said with solemn sincerity.