Operation Firebrand - Part 1
Posted on Tue Sep 24th, 2024 @ 9:24am by Charles Xavier & Connor Bruin & Kurt Wagner & Bliss Hawkins & Hayden Davis & Ethan Hale & Aurora Summers & Maeve MacKenna & Jason Wyngarde
Edited on on Fri Oct 11th, 2024 @ 11:15am
8,478 words; about a 42 minute read
Mission:
Episode 5: Days of Fortune Past
Location: New York
Timeline: November 3rd, 1990 - 01:21
X-Mansion
The curfew hour came and went with no word from Kennedy. After their conversation from a few weeks past, Professor Xavier had promised to watch for her return. She had left much earlier that evening for the Hellfire Gala, an exclusive event held only for the movers and shakers of New England's elite. From their ivory tower the Hellfire Club's tendrils stretched far and wide from the foundations of every industry to the highest halls of power. Xavier knew them to be evil through and through, but as in all things, the choice belonged to Kennedy. Each person had to forge their own destiny. In Kennedy's case, she had insisted on walking right up to the pit. The Professor prayed to whomever was listening that she didn't fall over the edge.
Cerebro was no help. The Hellfire Mansion had been somehow fortified against telepathic incursions. While Xavier could gather an estimated head count of who was in the ballroom, the upper floors where the Inner Circle held court was impenetrable to him. All that he knew was Kennedy went through those doors and never came back out. It was time to act.
~X-Men! Suit up and assemble in the hangar immediately. I will explain en route.~
Aurora had been enjoying a good night’s sleep when Professor Xavier had woken her from her slumber, mumbling to herself in annoyance as she made herself get out of bed, she got herself dressed and headed out to the hangar.
Iris had been dreaming about decorating the bathrooms for Christmas with Bobby who looked like Emilio Estevez for some reason. So when she was awaken by the Professor’s message, she was a bit disoriented and spent a few seconds looking around for the garland before realizing she’d been dreaming and pulled herself out of bed to get dressed.
Hayden stretched and yawned when the Professor's message came through. It didn't strike her as odd for some reason. She just got up and suited up. We'll, after she'd washed her face and brushed the morning breath away.
Meanwhile, Bliss was sitting on her bed staring across towards Kennedy's side of their shared room. It this was a few months ago, she might have started pacing at the gnawing worry she had for Kennedy. She now knew rather than burn good energy she could calm herself with some meditation and focus on things she could change and not to dwell on the things she couldn't. She was relatively new at this, but she did find comfort with the process.
When Bliss heard the Professor and his telepathic call to arms, she began to suit up with a calm sense of knowing exactly why the Prof was ringing the bell.
Maeve swiped at her alarm clock thinking the Professor's call was that going off. As it hit the ground with a thud she slowly realised it wasn't the rude ringing of such but the words of Xavier pushing through her mind. With a small humph and a sigh, she got up and dressed quickly into her uniform and headed to the blackbird.
Like many of the other students, Ethan had been asleep and dreaming. He didn't remember any of the first dreams, but the second had been interesting. It was as if he had stepped back in time. He didn't see any automobiles as he approached a train station. Its architecture looked as it had come from the 19th century He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. It held a $20 bill just as he in his actual pocket. It looked quite different and though he didn't see an exact date but knew it was from a bygone era.
He hated being awakened from that dream because it had seemed so real and he wanted to know what would have happened had it continued.
There was nothing he could do about that, but he felt that whatever was about to happen in real life was going to be far more interesting.
He threw on a pair of jeans and a tattered hoodie and made his way to where he was being summoned.
Blackbird
Despite it being the middle of the night, Professor Xavier was pleased at the team's readiness. They had mobilized to the hangar and boarded the Blackbird like a true response team. The Blackbird's autopilot was engaged for the moment so that Iris could join the hasty briefing while the team headed toward New York City.
Escapade sat in her usual seat in the back. It wasn't that she was being antisocial. She liked being at the rear so she could watch over her friends and react as quickly as possible. Her black and yellow uniform clung to her, her expression one of eager readiness.
"I apologize for the late hour and lack of notice," the Professor said over the display screen. He had remained at the X-Mansion and was communicating through the War Room computer. "One of our own is in need of assistance. Kennedy attended a social gathering earlier this evening and did not return home. I cannot locate her on Cerebro which means she has entered a location specifically designed to keep me out. It up to all of you to locate her and bring her home safely."
Aurora gazed at the viewscreen. “If this location is keeping you out then it’ll obviously keep me out too. Where exactly was it that Kennedy went?”
"It's possible that your telepathy may become of use once the team breaches the defensive perimeter," the Professor said. "Either way, you must be on your guard."
The Professor's face shrunk into a corner box while an isometric view of a ritzy New York mansion filled the rest of the screen. "A gala is being held at this location tonight. Some of the wealthiest people in the world have gathered for a night of elegant debauchery. Take care wandering into secret rooms. Kennedy was issued an invitation, ostensibly due to her family pedigree, and was confirmed to have entered through the front door in an evening gown and a stag mask. The environment is that of a masquerade ball. What I suggest is entering through the service door and try to blend in with staff in order to move about more freely. I will monitor the situation from Cerebro as best I can. Hank is performing calibrations with me in hopes of breaking through whatever is causing interference. I will render aid however I am able, but for the time being, you are on your own."
“I don’t suppose we’d be lucky enough for there to be no security cameras,” Iris commented idly. “If they want to keep telepaths out, it’s a cinch to assume they’ll have pretty good security.”
"Yeah, I'd expect a boatload of security cameras everywhere," said Hayden. "I mean, it stands to reason that the richest people in the world would have every square inch on video for their gala. That said, how are we going to sneak in the service entrance and blend in when we're suited up as X-Men?"
"I would suspect that the service entrance is going to be a security high point," Bliss said. "We need to consider other options to acquire access. Time is an issue. Kennedy could be in mortal danger. I think we need to do the direct route. Meaning find us a good access point either on the roof or at a major window and make a grand entrance. And if we can't find an access point? We make one. We'll have the benefit of surprise. We go in, find Kennedy, and get out."
Connor shook his head. "STEALTH IS NECESSARY UNTIL WE DETERMINE WHERE KENNEDY IS LOCATED."
"In addition to Connor's point," the Professor cut in, "the Hellfire Club is known to be protected by elite security specialists. The Hellfire Knights, as they are called, are more than the standard variety security detail. Not only are they armed with cutting-edge technology as available through the Inner Circle's R&D firms, but they are known to be armored as well. Drawing unwanted attention will not end well, at least until it's time to retreat."
Kurt was near the back next to Bliss. He raised his three-fingered hand. "If I could get inside and locate a safe location, I could teleport ze team into ze mansion visthout being detected."
"IRIS CAN OBFUSCATE YOU." Connor switched to using their codenames. "ESCAPADE, GRYPHON, AND MYSELF WILL DEPLOY TO THE ROOFTOP AND SEARCH FOR A DOOR. HOODWINK AND NIGHTCRAWLER WILL SNEAK INSIDE THE SERVICE ENTRANCE AND FIND THE BEST LOCATION TO TELEPORT THE REST OF THE TEAM. NOBODY IS TO SEARCH ALONE. STAY IN PAIRS AT MINIMUM, BUT DO NOT GIVE YOURSELVES AWAY. BETWEEN ENIGMA AND NIGHTCRAWLER, WE WILL STAY IN CONTACT. DO NOT DOUBLE BACK, KEEP MOVING FORWARD, AND DO NOT GET CAUGHT." He looked around at his team. This was the part where Cyclops used to ask if there were any questions, but instead Caveman just challenged them with a questioning shrug.
Aurora spoke up needing more answers. “What about members of the Hellfire Club? Who are we likely to come up against? If I can use my telepathy once we get inside are there any members who will detect me? If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that telepaths tend to sense when another telepath is near.”
There seemed to be a lot to consider. This place would be heavily guarded, probably heavily armed and if not impenetrable then hooked up to all sorts to keep invaders at bay. "If all else fails I could create a hole in the building." Maeve shrugged. "Although that would make noise and ruin our stealth option. "If we can find a way into the service sections locker room they may have uniforms we can wear on top of our suits for us to blend in with. They usually hire young people to cater for these types of things, don't they? At least I've seen some movies were they do..."
"Connor," Ethan spoke up, "I'm not questioning your authority, or trying to usurp your position. If you want me on the roof, that's where I'll be. But, what if I cause a distraction? I can probably fly faster than the guards can move, even with their superior weapons. I'm pretty good at being evasive. I can draw them away from everyone else and at the same time it will give our team a chance to evaluate their tactics. What do you think?"
"THAT IS PHASE 2," Connor said with a nod. "WHEN WE FIND KENNEDY, THEN WE FIGHT OUR WAY OUT. SAVE THE DISTRACTION FOR THAT TIME." He looked over the city map on the screen and pointed at Mill Rock, a small islet north of Roosevelt Island where the Harlem River met the East River. "LAND THE BLACKBIRD HERE, THEN NIGHTCRAWLER CAN PORT EVERYONE TO THE HELLFIRE MANSION. WAIT FOR OUR SIGNAL FROM THE ROOFTOP. WE WILL DISABLE EXTERNAL SECURITY."
The blinking blip that represented the Blackbird on the radar came ever nearer their destination. Connor pressed the release for the rear hatch. Wind ripped at everyone as cabin pressure began to drop.
"GRYPHON, ESCAPADE, THIS IS OUR EXIT. GOOD LUCK, X-MEN."
Gryphon nodded as he moved to the rear of the plane.
Escapade stepped to the rear with focused eagerness.
"Let's go get our sister."
Upper East Side | Manhattan
The three vanguards jumped from the Blackbird and let its jet stream propel them along until gravity finally took over. A steep dive ensued, one that resulted in corkscrews and tailspins to sheer off the downward acceleration. Each teammate performed their own technique. Ethan's wings shot out like the bird of prey that had modeled them while Bliss made herself telekinetically weightless.
Connor's arms shot out to the side with strong nylon fabric connecting his wrists to his sides. The wingsuit upgrade allowed him to glide downward in an even pace with his two teammates.
Ethan, using his superior sight looked around him for any aerial threats before turning his attention towards the ground.
Escapade has spent the last several months training as part of her therapy routine. She had become quite flexible in terms of using her tactile telekinesis in a variety of way. She found flying to be both soothing and exciting. She reveled in the rapid descent towards the landing zone.
As far as sloped roofs went, the Hellfire Mansion had several, one for each wing. The Mansard roof along the facade gave way to the main structure with a flat, recessed roof. From above, they could see at least four snipers with their eyes trained outward. There was a satellite dish and its controlling sat-com room nearby with a security guard walking rounds around it. Even from a distance, the pale white death masks on their faces reflected the city lights, giving them a haunting corona.
If the three mutants played their cards right, perhaps the Hellfire guards would never see them coming.
Ethan, flying as silently as he could moved toward the recessed roof. He wasn't too worried about getting shot. He was more concerned with not being seen.
Escapade made a perfectly silent superhero landing, her hands flat against the roof of the building. She kept an eye on the snipers. If any of them made a motion towards targeting either of her teammates, she was prepared to deal with them.
When they landed, Connor took center stage. He held out two fingers on each hand and then pointed at the four snipers guarding each wing. All four of them were scanning the grounds below, trusting the patrolling guard to watch their back. Connor sprinted toward that one in hopes of taking him out before he could alert the snipers.
This was what Ethan had been born for, or more accurately what he'd been formed to do by a combination of DNA manipulation and training. Moving as silently as a wraith he approached the guard on the Northeast corner of the building.
With some difficulty, he avoided the urge to attack with deadly force. It was tempting but unnecessary. He simply put the sniper in a chokehold until he passed out.
Meanwhile, Escapade was focused on her two assigned targets. Two snipers, each facing away from her. She needed to eliminate them quietly and quickly. She certainly didn't want to kill anybody, not at this point. Most likely these guys were hired muscle. She needed to save up her brownie points for the big guns that were no doubt downstairs having a grand old time.
She extended her tactile telekinesis through her hands into the structure of the building. The more she tried to do, the weaker her ability would be. Best to focus on the two men. From the structure of the building, she extended her Force upward around the two men and squeezed. It may not have been as satisfactory as a chokehold, but it had the same type of effect. She felt their gear crunch with the squeeze. She held it long enough to make sure both men were out and unlikely to stir anytime soon. She lowered them to the roof surface before releasing her grip.
She watched the others to see if they needed assistance with their assigned targets, ready to move at a moment's notice.
Ethan moved toward the remaining sniper just as silently as he'd taken out the other, but less gently. He inserted his claws in the side of the man's neck and let his venom do the trick. It wouldn't kill the man, or at least he didn't think it would, but he'd wake up with the worst hangover symptoms of his life.
After Ethan eliminated the remaining sniper, Connor reached the patrolling guard and planted his boots in a savage drop kick against the man's chest. The guard hit the roof hard, bouncing his head off the composite. Connor landed in a crouch and counted to three to ensure the guard wasn't moving.
With that accomplished, Connor turned his attention to the sat-com station. He could see what looked like cables for a CCTV network. The guard booth appeared to be the hub for their surveillance grid. There was also a fail-safe switch that would trigger the satellite dish. Connor deactivated that first before killing the generator that appeared to be the dedicated power supply.
"THAT SHOULD DISABLE THEIR SECURITY GRID," Connor told the others. "OR AT LEAST THE SURVEILLANCE COMPONENT TO IT. WE SHOULD LOOK FOR A WAY INSIDE, AS THE OTHERS WILL BE—" Connor didn't get to finish his sentence.
The door to the guard booth flew off the hinges as an 8-foot-tall crimson monstrosity came barreling toward them. Wearing heavy-plated armor that looked eerily similar to Cyclops' visor, the Hellfire Knight presented a heavy weapon that looked somewhere between a Gatling gun and a light projector. The muzzle began to spin and rotate like an HMG until it glowed bright red. Bolts of burning plasma began to rain down on the roof as he covered the mutants with suppressive fire, though only a hum came from the directed energy weapon.
Ethan wasn't a coward, but he wasn't a fool either. He leaped over the side and flew upward to avoid the weapon's fire. Once he was out of sight, he'd fly back down behind the man and take him out.
Bliss had a healthy respect for weapons she couldn't identify. The Danger Room had taught her to give weapons of unknown ability plenty of attention. She started to juke as soon as Ethan dove over the side. She dodged as she closed with the bad guy until she could get her hands around the muzzle of the plasma spewing weapon and force it against the armor of the bad guy. She scissored her legs around the torso and began to wrench against her opponent with her focused strength.
"C'mon, bubba, I don't want to hurt you but I'm on a schedule..."
The Hellfire Knight cursed through his plate helmet and tossed the directed energy heavy weapon aside. Hydraulic-powered gauntlets pried Bliss off of his armored chassis with a sharp whine of their servomotors as their brute force competed with Bliss. He got enough leverage that he cocked his arm back and slammed Bliss with a pneumatic slam of his armored fist which set her flying away. He jumped ten feet in the air after her with both fists pulled back for a double-fisted attack.
"Fuck me," Ethan thought as he wheeled in midair. Attacking someone or something in armor probably wasn't the best strategy, but it was his only option. Without hesitation, he hit the Hellfire Knight in the center of his back at eighty miles an hour. He hoped to at least distract it and take its focus off of Bliss and onto him.
Ragdolled by Ethan's high-speed attack, the Hellfire Knight let out a grunt as he rolled across the roof. He was separated from Ethan by a few meters. Instead of getting up and closing the distance for more brawling, the Hellfire Knight grabbed his laser cannon which he saw was in reach, and turned it on Ethan.
Just as the plasma bolts began to fire off, Connor slid on his knees between the glowing muzzle and Ethan. His arms were crossed over his chest to protect the speech-generating device in his breastplate, but otherwise, he made no other defensive posture. After a few seconds, the Hellfire Knight lowered the weapon, realizing it was having no effect.
Connor looked up from his knelt position with red wisps leaking from his eyes. He had absorbed it all. One uppercut later and the Hellfire Knight was airborne, his blue helmet clanging on the rooftop after being knocked loose.
Bliss tumbled through the air to land a well-placed dropkick. The out-of-control Knight disappeared over the side of the building. Bliss rushed to watch the aftermath. The sound of several hundred pounds of fine cutlery rattling to a sudden stop on the busy street many stories below got Bliss to wince sympathetically.
"Sorry," she mock whispered. She pushed off from the edge to follow the rest of her squad. She paused to pick up the weapon lost by the knight, studying it with a curious expression.
"Seems simple enough. Point the business end at the bad guy and pull the trigger. Easy peasy."
Connor was about to protest Bliss using a weapon for which she had no training, but he saw Ethan struggling to get up. One of his wings was also bent at an unnatural angle. "GRYPHON IS HURT." Rushing to Ethan's side, Connor began gently feeling up and down his extremities before assessing his torso. "I CANNOT DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF HIS INJURIES BUT HE MAY HAVE SUFFERED OTHER FRACTURES OTHER THAN HIS WING." He looked up at Bliss. "CAN YOU HELP HIM AS YOU DID WITH ALATE?"
Bliss sat her new toy to the side as she knelt down next to Ethan. Her hands were surprisingly gentle as they traced his wings.
"Don't worry, this won't hurt you at all."
Bliss felt the chaotic energies of his injuries climb into her own form. She said it wouldn't hurt him, but she didn't say a thing about how it would affect her. Whatever it was inside her turned the chaotic energies into something more orderly for him, she could feel the broken wings begin to mend. The pain was brief but excruciating. Fortunately, it wasn't debilitating, and she was able to shake off the echoes of the pain easily enough.
"Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Not try not to get killed anymore tonight, okay bubba?"
Ethan nodded his head. Everything seemed like it was back to normal. He didn't think he'd been slowed down much, but the real test would come when he found himself in combat.
She picked up her new toy and began towards the entrance below.
"Caveman, you're on point. They know we're coming so being sneaky sneaky doesn't pay off anymore it's time to lay the hammer down."
Connor shrugged as he signed. "IF WE HURRY, THEN WE MAY STILL HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF SURPRISE." He looked at the security elevator which led down inside. There was a card reader on the panel next to it. "LOOK FOR A KEYCARD INSIDE THE GUARD BOOTH. THAT WILL LET US USE THE SECURITY ELEVATOR AND PUT US BEHIND THEIR DEFENSIVE LINE."
Ethan folded his wings against his back and moved so that he was just behind Connor. Inside his wings would be close to useless, but that was okay. It gave more time to make sure it was truly mended and he had other talents he could use as well.
"But..."
Bliss knew she could easily disable the elevator right now and get them wherever they wanted to. But Connor was in charge and she had promised to back him. So with a shrug of her shoulders she stalked off to the guard booth, mumbling to herself the whole way.
In a couple minutes, she returned with a badge as well as wearing a guard uniform, white mask included.
"Okay if we're going to play the sneaky game we're going to play it all the way. Here are a couple pair of restraints, you two put them on and I'll be the brave guard who has captured miscreants. I figure if it worked in Star wars it's going to work for us."
Connor agreed and nodded as he took the restraints. He led the other two to the security elevator and ran the keycard through the card reader. The restraints waited until he was inside the elevator. When the other two joined him, a red light began to flash in the elevator overhead.
"THAT CANNOT BE GOOD," Connor said.
"No more sneaky sneaky!"
Before deadly gas could spray them or the floor could be electrified or some other James Bond death trap could be triggered, the disguised Bliss gestured towards the floor. The elevator shook as the bottom of the elevator gave way into the dimly lit shaft. She grabbed her two mates and followed the debris.
"Express going down!"
It was only another minute or two before the Blackbird made its stealth descent on Mill Rock. After Iris checked to ensure the Blackbird's cloaking system remained engaged, Kurt had the rest of the team joined hands. They all disappeared in a single bamf.
When they next appeared, the Hellfire Mansion was in view. Tall dormer windows were lit up like slit golden eyes beneath the sloped roof. The façade is richly adorned with intricate stonework, including elaborate cornices, window surrounds, and ornate parapets. All in all, it was a French-Gothic counterpart to the neoclassical Victorian style of the older X-Mansion.
"Caveman said to vait for ze signal," Kurt said to the group. "But perhaps we sneak around to ze service entrance in ze mean time, ja?"
"Sounds like a good idea," Maeve responded with a nod. "If anything we can get you a look inside and see if you can do your teleporting thing to get us inside?" her tone raised as she asked the question.
Kurt nodded. "Visth line of sight, zhen it is presto. Ostherwise I must hef a good look first."
“If security here is as bad as the Professor said we could be detected at any point.” Aurora looked around. “I wish I could sense where Kennedy was inside but it’s like the Professor said she’s hidden from me.”
Looking up at the roof, Kurt narrowed his yellow eyes and peered through the shadows as if they were illuminated. "I hef not seen nor heard any signal from ze osthers yet. I am tempted—"
There was an obvious CCTV security camera over the service entrance. Its green light blinked red as its oscillation stopped. The lens shifted downward and pointing at the ground.
"Zhat must be it!" Kurt gasped. "Hoodvink, schnell, komm mit mir!"
At once, Iris moved to stand next to him, concentrating on staying hidden. She wasn’t sure it would work while teleporting, but she was going to try anyway. “Ich bin bereit,” she replied. (I am ready.)
Kurt bamfed the two of them over to the service door, which they entered as discreetly as possible. On the other side was a large space with a cargo elevator and a wide descending stairwell which from the smell led to a kitchen area. Aside from the elevator were several doors. One was open, revealing a dark utility closet. Kurt peeked his head inside. "Ja, zhis looks promising!"
After bamfing back outside, Kurt reunited with the waiting team and brought them into the dark utility closet. It was a tight squeeze for the four of them, but they had made it inside.
"Vhat now?" Kurt asked. This was outside his forte. "Enigma, you are telepath, ja? Can you detect anysthing?"
“I can try.” Aurora offered Kurt a smile. Opening up her mind she tried to get a sense of what was inside, the sensations from the ground floor were overwhelming to say the least, nothing but drunken debauchery, making her withdraw from there as quickly as she could. “Ground floor... no Kennedy that I can sense.” She refocused trying to ignore the raised emotions from the ground floor. “The basement has armed security and lots of waiting staff, so that's probably best avoided. The upper floors....I’m picking up on increased security, but there are fewer partygoers.” She paused for a moment. “The highest floors...” She shook her head. “They’re like a...black hole in space, for want of a better comparison, I can’t sense anything from inside. There’s definitely a telepath or more than one telepath inside I can feel that, and...intense feelings of wrath and fear. It could be Kennedy I’m not sure.” She sighed. “I think that’s where we need to go.”
It was cozy to be sure and Maeve noticed little room for them to move around. "I think getting upstairs without being noticed is going to be tough," Maeve said as she twirled her hair with her hands. A nervous habit, no question, but she also did it when she was thinking. "We could still look for servers' outfits? Did anyone see any when we came in?" She asked peering around the very cramped utility room. "Well... poofed in." she made a small gesture due to the constraints in moving room. "If not I can always cause a tremor. Maybe set the security off in another part of the building? Again though my powers aren't exactly on the stealth side unless it's causing a sand or dust storm..."
“If there are no cameras, I can get there,” replied Iris. “I might be able to take one more person with me, but I haven’t been able to practice hiding more than that.”
"That was totally new," Hayden said. "Poofing away like that. But maybe we should stick with trying to blend in. I still think there's too many security cameras in a place like this. Especially if Enigma can't sense anything on the highest floors but a black hole. See if there's some disguises in here and then physically recon the areas and look for blind spots. Or...since we are in a utility room, we could try to find something to mess around with; electrical boxes, fuses, water lines, something simple. That way it wouldn't draw too much attention."
Kurt began turning other doorknobs and found one that opened. "Voila!" he said far too loudly before covering his mouth with his hands. Gesturing for the ladies to come look, he revealed a coat closet full of servants' outfits hanging on racks inside plastic dry cleaning bags. "Oh, on second glance, zhey do not appear to be ze most modest..."
Hayden looked at the outfits on the hangers. "Oh, um, okay. I guess blending in around here means standing out." She reached in and pulled out one of the hangers. "In a very attention-getting way, apparently. I don't know, does this even count as stealth?" She laughed a little and then shrugged. "Oh well, who's gonna take one for the team with me?"
“I don’t know if we’re going to find one in my size,” commented Iris, holding up the smallest one she could find. “I’m so short, this is gonna look like a normal dress on me.”
“There’s one thing I’m worried about, they know what we look like from previous encounters, at the very least me anyway. I can use my telepathy to fool some of the guests, but not these ultra-trained guards, or the telepath or telepaths that’s shrouding this place.”
"Just judging by these uniforms," said Hayden, "I don't think they'll be paying that much attention to our faces. And it's what, like, an hour and a half after midnight. That said, if we're gonna do this..." Hayden disappeared into the closet where Kurt found the uniforms and put one on. When she stepped out, she said, "This thing makes what I wear to the beach look like your grandma's Sunday dress."
"Ach du meine Güte!" Kurt exclaimed in a hoarse whisper. He was no stranger to revealing attire from his performer days but Hayden's outfit left little to the imagination. "Are you certain you vant to do zhis?"
"Well, no, not really," answered Hayden. "But what else is there?"
“It’s certainly no good for me in my condition.” Aurora offered a wry smile. “I can try and mentally shield you, in the same way they have this place shielded from us. I’m not sure how long it’ll go undiscovered though.”
Iris, meanwhile, had experimentally pulled the smallest outfit on over her uniform. Even with the extra bulk of clothes underneath, it was still too big on her and the skirt hung almost to her knees. “I look like a kid who put on mom’s clothes to play dress up,” she said, pulling it back off again. “I don’t think it’s going to work for me, either. I can probably keep Aurora hidden, though. And we just trust that someone disabled the cameras.”
"Ze camera over ze service door vas deactivated," Kurt said. "Perhaps zhat means osthers are deactivated as vell? I do not know much about such zhings." He had an idea. "Vould zhere be surveillance downstairs in ze basement? Perhaps Enigma and Hoodvink could see if zhere are any opportunities to exploit in ze vorker area vhile Calypso, Morrigan, and myself sneak across ze ground floor. If you become discovered or trapped, I can attempt to bring you to anosther part of zhis den of sin."
Aurora looked towards Iris. “Okay, Iris, lets go with your plan, it’s as good a one as any.” She offered a smile.
Maeve nodded also. She had chosen to do the same as Hayden and change into a server outfit. It felt uncomfortable but she would do what she had to in order to save a fellow teammate.
Hellfire Mansion | First Floor
With Kurt sticking to the shadows, the now wait staff clad Hayden and Maeve made their way through the kitchen were they were handed silver trays covered in hors d'oeuvres. Like any other hired help, they were completely ignored by the patrons of the Hellfire Club and allowed to wander through all the rooms of the unrestrictive first floor.
The other end of the kitchen led them to a large ballroom made of marble and wood paneling, the mask clad patrons all danced in circles around one another as candlelight and music from a live orchestra filled the room. It was an extravagant party that looking like something from the Palace of Versailles.
While the party was grand it appeared to be the most superficial layer of the gala, the individuals invited into this space seemed to be here merely for a costume party. Their conversations were casual and insignificant, if the X-Men were going to find anything of significance they would have to explore further.
Leaving the ballroom through a side door, the trio found a room where tray after tray with mountains of white powder were provided from consumption. Cut with a razor blade and organized into neat white lines, the Hellfire members in this room removed their masks and snorted line after line of the powder, sometimes from off the bare skin or breasts of one of their fellow club members. This room was definitely a good start into finding the more elusive and higher members of the Hellfire Club.
Hayden tried not to go wide-eyed at the sight. That would definitely give her away. Instead, she walked up to one of the tables where looked like they were taking a break from snorting. Or waiting their turn. "Hors d'oeuvres?" she asked, casting her gaze to the ground.
"No, my sweet, my appetite at the moment is for something more carnal." His square chin and piercing blue-green eyes could not be hidden by his forest-green goblin mask. "You and your shy friend there." He nodded at Maeve. "Come with me." The hand he put on Hayden's bare shoulder grasped her too close for comfort. "I have a more private room upstairs."
From the corner, Kurt's yellow flared with righteous indignation but he did not intervene.
Hayden winched and pulled back. "I...I'm not so sure about that," she said as she tried her best to keep the tray between them. "We're not supposed to let the food get cold. If we do, we'll get in trouble." She was trying to come up with some kind of excuse. "Besides, there's prettier girls out there." Lame.
"Don't be shy," the man said, encouraging Hayden to come with him while reaching out for Maeve as well. "I am a man of great means and endowment. No door remains closed to me forever. Come with me and perhaps you will never need serve another again."
"She said no." Maeve broke that 'shy' façade he had painted her with and her deep blue eyes set on him, her Celtic Irish firey temper almost flaring up. As his hand reached close and she could feel a nervousness fire in her stomach as she defended Hayden. It was instinct, one that flared up every so often when people she cared for were in what she perceived to be danger.
"Well, I dunno. Gimme a minute to talk to my friend," she said. "Never having to serve again sounds good. Hang on." Hayden wiggled loose from the man's grip. She grabbed Maeve and pulled her back a little before leaning in to whisper, her back to the man in the green mask. "This might be just what we need to get us through all of the security and deeper inside. Besides, we can take care of ourselves," she added with a smile. "And Kurt will be nearby, so he can see where to poof the rest of the team if needed. I think we should play the game until we're done with him." She giggled loudly to add some personality to her character. "Come on, let's say yes and have him take us to the floor where his private room is located. A 'giggling blonde' and a 'fiery redhead' might be enough to get him away from his drugs."
"I know you aren't the usual entertainment," said the man in the forest green goblin mask, "but there's something special about you two. I just know it. Don't prove me wrong now."
Maeve's experience with men who have what she can only describe as 'the devil in their eyes' never ended well for the men. Those who had trafficked her and other women over from Europe found their demise on the end of one of her earth spikes. Turning to the man in the goblin mask she arched a brow. "Sir, you don't know the half of how special we are." She sassed him but it was also a confirmation to Hayden that she agreed.
Hayden set her tray down on the table. "Well, no more serving these things tonight. Get cold for all I care. We're in," she said. "Look all you want, but no handsy until we get there." She put her hands on her hips and kicked them out to the side. "It's all about the anticipation, Mistah Goblin."
The forest green goblin man led them out of the room and toward the security elevator. Several knights in blue gear and white masks lined the hallway. He turned them aside with a wave of his hand.
"One side, gentlemen. I have pressing business to attend to." His hands began to turn groping while they waited for the elevator to come down to the ground floor.
Using his natural affinity for shadow, Kurt watched the scene from the ballroom down the hall. His yellow eyes narrowed with disgust for the evil man in front of him. Those poor girls were being led like lambs to the slaughter. Even if they could defend themselves against a single man, there was an untold number of guards who would be even less dignified than the green goblin man.
As soon as the elevator doors parted, Kurt bamfed inside and cut the three of them off at the pass.
"Hallo," he said, turning to the man in the green goblin mask, "und tschüss." He grabbed the man, slammed him face first into the wall behind him, and pulled the girls in after them. "He is all yours, fraulein."
The goblin mask had cracked down in the middle and laid on the floor next to its owner. He groaned and tried to get back to his feet. He pulled out a pager and pressed a button. In response, the alarm in the elevator went off.
"Oh crap. That's not good," said Hayden. She kicked the maskless man in his already injured face and then once more in the stomach. She stepped back to let Maeve get in a few hits. "When you're done, roll him out. We need to get to the floor where Aurora said there was a black hole sort of void."
Being in the elevator with that man made Maeve's anxiety grow. She felt the ground tremble as her leg shook subconsciously as they stood next to each other. His hands felt wrong, too large and too familiar. Flashes of that boat, the men on board, it almost felt like another lifetime now that in such a short space of time she felt like she was safe at the mansion.
She almost didn't notice Kurt's entrance, a blur of blue and then noise. An alarm. She could feel her breathing increase, her heart rate rise and she had began to sweat. Looking down at the 'man' she could do nothing but stare before pushing him out of the elevator with her foot, not wanting to touch him at all more than she had to.
The doors closed and the elevator began to move again. Maeve's mind spun wildly but looking at Hayden and Kurt grounded her somewhat and brought her back to the present.
Hellfire Mansion | Basement
Bypassing the kitchen and moving down a flight of stairs the unseen Iris and Aurora began to explore the underbelly of the building. At first, their discoveries were mundane, storage for cleaning supplies, the boiler room, non-perishable food and liquor. It wasn't until they reached the end of the hall where a single door was open and the sound of a dozen women could be heard conversing.
"No, red lipstick..." a voice from the room snapped. "He doesn't like red lipstick, he says it looks cheap."
Iris and Aurora, both still unseen, entered a dressing room where a bevy of nude women sat in front of well-lit vanity tables. Each woman was blonde and beautiful, from their perfect hair and fake breasts down to their painted toes. A room full of showgirls getting ready for an over-the-top performance.
"So what if he hates red?" The blonde who was wiping her lips clean said with a pout, "It's not like he doesn't have a whole room of girls to pick from."
"Honey, if you want that paycheck, you'll make him happy." The original woman spoke again, "And if he takes a liking to you, you may get a contract or a modeling job out of it. Or, even better, become one of his girlfriends, you'll never want for anything if you become one of those... of course, you'll be expected to fuck him on the regular."
"Isn't that what we're all here for tonight?" another woman sighed with a laugh.
"It's different when he wants you," the original girl corrected, "so no red!"
Whatever looming sex act Iris and Aurora had walked in on didn't seem to be what they were looking for but there were few other options in the basement to pursue. Their final option was a single door on the other side, opposite from the dressing room filled with women.
Aurora motioned to Iris to head for the single door, with a bit of luck someone would open it in time for them to enter through it, if not Aurora would have to open it telekinetically. She smiled as they approached finding the door already ajar, which would make it so much easier for them to get through.
Being small, Iris knew she would fit through the small opening as is. She peered through it first, to see what she could see, but what she could see wasn’t enough to really know what the room contained. So instead, she carefully slipped through but stayed close so as to keep Aurora hidden. Very slowly, she pushed the door slightly further open and motioned the other girl through. Hopefully, it was enough.
What they found was a butler's pantry, a narrow room with lined cabinetry filled with spices as well as a few countertops beneath them for preparation. Several cooking implements were left where they had been last used. At the far end of the narrow room was a door which led upstairs to the party. In the middle of the room against the stone wall was a dumbwaiter lift. A floor chart was on the wall next to it with temporary room assignments on each floor. The top floor which the dumbwaiter lift could reach was marked as "Lords Cardinal" on a permanent brass plate.
Before they could read anything else, the far door opened, revealing stairs up to the dining room of the first floor. It was Cyclops and Iceman, standing side by side.
"There you are," Cyclops said with a warm smile. "We've been looking for you everywhere."
"There's no time to lose," Iceman added. "Omega Sentinel is flying around outside. Marvel Girl got Kennedy out, but it's not safe now, especially for telepaths. Omega Sentinel can disable them."
"We came in through an old Prohibition-era tunnel that goes under the East River," Cyclops said. "We have to get out now before they tear this place apart looking for us."
"Yes, let's go," Iceman said. "We'll show you the way."
Both First Class members held out their hands.
Iris eyed them skeptically. “How did you see us?” she demanded. “I was concentrating on hiding. You should have looked right passed us.”
"Marvel Girl told us where you were headed," Iceman said. "We got here as fast as we could."
"We can explain the rest on the jet," Cyclops said, his face softening with a tone of pleading. "Please. Nobody gets left behind."
Tell that to Mara, thought Iris. Or me for that matter. But she set that aside for now. “That explains how you knew where to look,” she replied. “But how did you see us?”
"Look at the mess you made." Iceman pointed at the tracks of flour they had left behind when walking through a spill near the door they had entered.
"Wipe your feet and come along," Cyclops said. "They if they corner us, we'll be trapped."
Iris looked behind them and sighed. Some sort of sticky red liquid that reminded Iris of Hawaiian Punch formed foot tracks that led straight to the two girls. She cursed under her breath. “Footprints,” she muttered irritatedly. “I’ve been made by footprints. All right, let’s go,” she added with exasperation.
“No, stop!” Aurora held out her hand stopping Iris from stepping forward. “This doesn’t feel right, we’d have felt it if we’d have walked through that, and I KNOW we didn’t step in anything.” She could still sense the presence of their other team mates in the building, but she wasn’t going to say that in case they hadn’t been discovered. She looked to Cyclops. “You’re not Cyclops...”
Iris glanced at Aurora. Of course! She would know if they were who they said they were. Granted, another telepath could be clouding their thoughts, so she decided on a test. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Iceman. “What’s my former profession?” she asked him, carefully schooling her thoughts into a single word: stripper. “What did I do before joining the X-Men?” If he answered correctly, she would know he was who he said he was. If he answered stripper, she would know they were telepaths trying to trick them.
"Dude, I don't remember!" Iceman exclaimed. "Uh... what about..." He started humming a tune. "Da nuh... da nuh... da nuh, da nuh, da nuh, da nuh, da duh duh... da nuh... da nuh..."
"Come on, people there's no time!" Cyclops dropped the warm smile and spoke in the imperious tone of a battlefield commander. "On the double!"
Iris looked at Bobby like he had two heads. “No, I didn’t hunt sharks, ya weirdo!” she replied, then looked to Aurora. “But at least he didn’t give me the wrong answer I was thinking of, so that’s something. And who else but the real Bobby would sing the Jaws theme when we’re on a mission? I think it’s really them.”
"Codenames on mission," Cyclops corrected. "Come on!" He took the lead to guide them back the way they'd come.
"Yeah, they have an army upstairs." Iceman brought up the rear with the two girls between them. "No way we can fight them all. Time to scram through the tunnel."
To be perfectly honest, Iris was only about 60% sure this was really Iceman and Cyclops. She was trying to think of a way to get them to use their powers, but hadn’t been successful, yet. “If we’re in such a hurry, what if I take Cyclops through the walls and Iceman can take Aurora on an ice sled,” she suggested. “Wouldn’t that be faster?” And also split you two up in case you’re not who you say you are, she added mentally.
The alarms began to blare throughout the service corridors. Loud klaxons were added to them, signaling a security breach. All trained workers knew what to do and began hurrying to their designated areas.
Cyclops and Iceman faded out of existence like a desert mirage. Further behind them was a weaselly man in black vestments holding his head.
"God damn those alarms!" Mastermind seethed, eyes closed against the pain. When he opened them, he realized his illusion had faded. Two-on-one against the X-Men, even young girls, were not odds he wanted to tempt. Why risk it? No one would know. He turned tail and ran away, leaving Aurora and Iris with unfettered access to the dumbwaiter lift.
Aurora smiled as she looked at Iris. “Thank heavens for the intruder alarms, at least now we know for sure.” She motioned to the dumbwaiter. “Let’s make good use of that shall we?”
“I was really hoping that was them, too,” muttered Iris. “Oh, well. Do you think we’ll both fit? It might be kind of cramped.” She climbed into the dumbwaiter and made herself as small as she could. “Come on,” she said. “Hit the button for the ground floor and get in.”
Aurora followed on, Bliss wasn’t kidding when she said it would be a squeeze, but at the same time it was kind of fun too. She just hoped there wouldn’t have anyone waiting at the other end.
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