Next Best Thing

by Jim Smith

Chapter Twelve! "Kings and Queens and Guillotines!"

***

The man scaling the Thunderbolts' mountain headquarters was not a Thunderbolt. By his reckoning, no one inside Mount Charteris was.

John Walker called himself "The USAgent" ("Captain America" was taken) and had devoted much of his thoughts to the Thunderbolts. Founded by the notorious terrorist Baron Zemo to conquer the world by pretending to be heroes, the Thunderbolts had turned on their one-time master and settled inside of this mountain. Along for the ride was Hawkeye, who had worked alongside the USAgent in days gone by. One of the X-Men had joined the T-bolts too--Angel or Archangel or whatever he called himself--but Walker didn't know or care why. It was Hawkeye whom he expected to know better than to believe those con artists.

USAgent's job (until recently) was to train a band of mercenaries, known as "the Jury," to run the Thunderbolts out of Colorado--out of the hair of the Jury's employer, Cordco Industries. But a few weeks ago, Walker had gone on a solo mission that saw him caught in an explosion.* During his convalescence, he never heard from Cordco or the Jury; afterwards, he discovered that they never knew he was gone. An imposter had taken his place, and led the Jury right into a pink slip. It had taken the Agent days to track them, and by now he was sure that their fake leader was taking them on one last assault on the Thunderbolts' secret lair.**

[* CAPTAIN AMERICA vol. 3 #20. ** Next Best Thing Ch. 4-9.]

Assuming this _was_ the Thunderbolts' base, of course. It was common knowledge that they operated in this part of the state, but the Jury had already destroyed one hideout, and Hawkeye had apparently gone to great lengths to keep them from finding the next one. Still, if the Jury had gone out to find the base--even if they were being led by a phony--then USAgent was optimistic that they could pull it off. They were his team, after all, and they were the best.

He just hoped there was still a chance to tell them that.

"Nice day, what?" Walker looked up to see a figure waving to him from a nearby cliff. The welcoming committee, he concluded, and quickly climbed up for a better look.

If the mystery man was armed, he could have picked USAgent off the side of the mountain easily, so Walker was counting on him to keep acting ironically pleasant. In the meantime, the Agent could maneuver under the ledge and out of sight, and then use his incredible strength and agility to hurl himself up to meet his new buddy. He'd accomplished this in minutes, and momentarily he was standing on the ledge, with his shield at his side. He could now see that his greeter was none other than his "evil twin," the man who'd tricked the Jury.

"Impressive," the other USAgent commented without ever taking a defensive stance or an attacking posture. "I was expecting you to be Captain America until I got a better look at that costume. But I suppose you've finally healed from your injuries, and you've come to avenge your team."

The true USAgent wasn't about to let himself be goaded with references to his stint as a substitute Captain America. Not anymore. All that mattered was the Jury. "Where are they?" he snarled.

"I'd imagine parts of them landed in the foothills," the doppelganger casually replied. "If it makes you feel better, I didn't _want_ to kill them. But I had no choice; after they led me to the Thunderbolts' lair, they were...in the way."

Walker balled his hands tightly into fists, bottling up feelings of failure and remorse. Only one thought inspired him to smile at his double. "So that's what this is about," he declared. "You're out to get the Thunderbolts, and you're looking to throw down with Captain America? There's only two sumbitches who fit _that_ profile, and one of them's me. So that'd make you--"

The USAgent never saw it coming--the energy discharge that destroyed the ledge. It never occurred to him that the imposter might send them both falling to their deaths, so the tactic caught him by surprise. But John Walker didn't get to be a second-rate Captain America for nothing; in moments he had assessed the situation, and grabbed his opponent. The fake had some way out of this, or he wouldn't have blasted the overhang. All the Agent had to do was hold on tight and hitch a ride. Unless, of course, the ersatz USAgent could overpower him and toss him away before activating a tesseract portal. Once this happened, Walker was screwed.

As he fell to his death, all Walker could do was grumble. He wouldn't even get to see if he'd correctly guessed the bastard's true identity...

***

Dr. Karla Sofen, a/k/a "Moonstone." Other known aliases: "Meteorite," "Kate Sorenson." Height: 5'11". Weight: 130--er, make it 120 pounds. Wanted in connection with crimes committed by Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil. Currently at large as a member of the Thunderbolts.

Dr. Karla Sofen, Ph.D. After helping her fellow Thunderbolts to defeat the rebellious faction within the Hellfire Club, Dr. Sofen betrayed her comrades to the Club's Black King, Sebastian Shaw. In reward for her assistance, she was installed as the new Black Queen.

Two very different fates, one incredibly simple choice. And yet, for Moonstone, there was still some sense of conflict as she stood between the Thunderbolts--Songbird, Hawkeye, and Atlas--and the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club--Black Rook Madelyne Pryor, Black King Sebastian Shaw, and Shaw's personal assistant Tessa.

It had begun when the newest Thunderbolt, Archangel, suspected that the Hellfire Club had set a trap for the team. The best way to get answers was to play along, and infiltrate the Club's "Festival of Sin" gala in New York, but the Thunderbolts needed an edge. Moonstone had been sent ahead to contact the White Rook, Trevor Fitzroy, and pretend to betray her teammates to his organization. Fitzroy, she learned, wasn't acting on behalf of the Club; instead he and a band of demons were conspiring to rescue the Inner Circle's estranged Black Queen, Selene, and her satanic consort, Blackheart. The unholy couple had been mystically imprisoned in the catacombs beneath the Club's mansion. The White Rook intended to murder the Thunderbolts in a ritual to free Selene and Blackheart; from there they would feast on the souls of the Hellfire Club's patronage. With Moonstone's help, the Thunderbolts stopped Fitzroy in his tracks.

But what the Thunderbolts--and Fitzroy--didn't know was that Moonstone had been secretly meeting with Sebastian Shaw, offering to hand him her teammates and his traitors on a silver platter. Less than a minute after the Thunderbolts bested Fitzroy and his troops, Madelyne Pryor immobilized Songbird, Atlas, and Hawkeye with her mutant abilities. Archangel had already been locked away elsewhere in the Club's mansion. Jolt and Charcoal--who were too young to infiltrate the Club as partygoers--were somewhere in Manhattan, waiting for a call for help that couldn't come. That left Moonstone...the new Black Queen of the Hellfire Club.

If Sofen had meant to deceive Shaw and his forces into lowering their guard, she'd certainly succeeded. The only question was whether that was her true goal. Four Thunderbolts' lives depended on the answer, and even she didn't know.

"Don't look so glum, Karla," Shaw smirked. "As soon as we've dealt with this trifling matter, all your worries will be swept away. The Hellfire Club has many, many friends in high places. I suspect the next lame-duck President who signs a batch of last-minute pardons will discover that I have him in a _very_ compromising situation..."

When she looked into the Thunderbolts' eyes, she could see the comprehension. They knew why she might turn on them. She wasn't out to clear her name--all she wanted was the luxury of doing what she wanted without running from the law. Sticking with the Thunderbolts after their change of heart was the best idea at the time, but now a better offer had come along. Her teammates knew her well enough to know she would take it over their dead bodies.

What they weren't completely aware of, however, was that she'd been in this position twice before. When the Thunderbolts defeated the Crimson Cowl's criminal syndicate, she had done a "convincing" job of betraying her team, because she very nearly did betray them.* When they'd been captured by Graviton, Moonstone alone was offered a chance to grovel for her life; she refused.** Now, for the third time, she was facing a choice between a life of ease or risking her neck with her teammates.

[* THUNDERBOLTS #25. ** #29.]

In addition to holding the Thunderbolts where he stood, Pryor's telepathy was preventing the speech centers of their brains from forming a coherent sentence. "Element yet greatly cuticle purport Idaho the," Hawkeye snarled. He couldn't talk his way out of this mess, but the Thunderbolt's leader was defiant to the end. Moonstone had never understood that about him. Although she was in a position to fight the Black Rook and free the others, she knew it was pointless. Pryor could strike her down at the speed of thought. Even if she got lucky, Shaw's mutant powers made him virtually unbeatable. It was better to cut her losses and save her own skin. Right?

"You have spirit, Avenger," Shaw commented as he approached Hawkeye. "Under different circumstances, I'd let you go--after all, you dispatched with Fitzroy and saved me the effort of weeding out his supporters. That would have been...bad publicity. Now I can tell the press that I had no idea that a once-trusted associate was trying to use the Hellfire Club to conquer the world. Why, it's beyond me to even think in such terms." He paused to smile at the irony.

"Yes," he continued, "the X-Men or the Fantastic Four might have been content to stop Fitzroy and leave me to my business, and I would have left them to theirs. But you and these Thunderbolts are glory-hounds. You need everyone to know what you've done tonight so they'll believe your team has reformed. So I can't take the chance that you won't decide to make your names by revealing *everything* you know about the Inner Circle. No, the story will be that the Thunderbolts were working for Fitzroy, and moments before they could execute their fiendish plan, they began to squabble with another. A battle erupted, and all of you were killed as I looked on in horror. But don't worry, Hawkeye--I'll conjure up something about how you were ignorant of your team's ulterior motives until the very end, when you valiantly gave your life to help stop them. That should keep the Avengers from asking questions."

Moonstone wore a stolid poker face. Despite her inner conflict, she couldn't risk showing any concern over the Thunderbolts' fate. For that matter, with the Black Rook and Tessa around, she had to avoid thinking about it, even if it proved to be impossible. She wasn't a mutant, let alone one with natural psychic defenses. All she could do was hope she remembered the techniques she'd been taught by...

"Am I to assume they'll die painlessly, my king?" Tessa asked. It was a question Moonstone was afraid to ask, and it distracted her from her thoughts. "You did say you have no grudge against them."

Shaw nodded. "Indeed, Tessa. But there are other concerns. Karla here has proven to be an invaluable asset to the Inner Circle--she's prevented that succubus Selene from coming back to plague me, and she's earned Selene's place as the Black Queen. But that was a role I'd been grooming Madelyne for...and she certainly deserves consolation. They're hers to do with as she pleases."

Madelyne Pryor had been disturbingly silent until now. "You...honor me, my king," she muttered. There was something in her voice, Moonstone noticed...something almost undetectable. Karla Sofen was a trained psychiatrist and skilled in human observation, and if she'd been paying attention to Pryor for the past few minutes, she might have seen it earlier. But she'd been preoccupied, and only now could she see the danger...

"Sebastian...!" she exclaimed, diving towards him instinctively. But it was too late. She could feel her own mind being deactivated, as if a fuse had blown. She fell onto the Black King's unconscious body, barely cognizant of her peril as she blacked out.

***

+Concentrate, Firegoddess! I have come not to expect such carelessness from one who has equaled me in battle!+

The voice of my mate echoed through my mind, stirring me from my thoughts. My liege was, of course, right about such matters. How could I have allowed myself to become distracted from this, my darkest hour?

Here I stood with him, surrounded by an army of war-shades, the fate of all creation in the balance. For fifty years we gods had defended the heavens and the earth from the abyss, and I would fight another fifty years rather than end this glorious battle. The Netherdemon, lord of the void and master of death, would yet taste the unfavorable end of my sacred spear.

"Then you shall see, bestial one," I replied to my husband, "how much more I am than your equal!" The divine power of Vranphell, the ancient spear that brought life to the land, plunged deep into the first wraith I could reach. "See, O shadowy ones, that the Firegoddess shall never surrender when there is honor to be had! Neither you nor my doubtful liege shall find me lacking in spirit!"

+Your boasts are misguided, she-god,+ the sky-king admonished as he dispatched more of our enemies with his mighty arrows. +All to whom you speak know your words to be true!+ Indeed, for were the war-shades not the souls of those whom we once called friends? Were they not our fellow gods, who had fallen in the days when my sire's god-tribe warred with my own? The Netherdemon was a crafty one, creating us from its empty void that we might slaughter one another and sate its death-lust.

Now, though, star-father and fire-mother were united, and all the hordes of the abyss could not defeat us. "Aye, betrothed," I answered. "Then quicken your heart and begin carrying your end of this battle, so that I may take my boasts to the Netherdemon itself!" I heard a familiar snarl behind me and smiled. If death should come to the earth-queen, I decided, then let it come; better to die protecting the flank of my mate, than to live eternal as a cowering bitch...

***

When Moonstone regained consciousness, she found herself pinned to the ground, unable to lift so much as a finger. At first she instinctively searched for whatever bonds were holding her; then she remembered that Madelyne Pryor didn't need any. Like Hawkeye and the others, Moonstone's motor skills were now being suppressed by the Black Rook.

Her eyes, for whatever reason, were free to move. She discovered Pryor kicking the limp form of Trevor Fitzroy. As Pryor psychically roused him, Fitzroy started to mumble like a sleepwalker. "nnnh...cheeseburgers...right there, baby...hit me right there...mmmm..."

"Wake _up_, Fitzroy," Pryor demanded. In moments he was alert and on his feet.

"Madelyne? What's going on? What happened...?"

"You let your hormones get the best of you, that's what happened," she snapped. "Moonstone deceived you with her charms. No wonder Selene didn't trust you to finish the job yourself..."

"What are you talking about, Madelyne?" Moonstone strained her eyes to locate the speaker, but the voice confirmed her fears. Like herself, Sebastian Shaw was held captive by the Black Rook's powers. She'd figured it all out moments before Pryor subdued them, but Shaw was still in the dark. She almost pitied him for what he was about to learn.

"You're a fool, Shaw," Pryor answered. "Almost as much a fool as Fitzroy. You knew Selene before either of us--you knew her powers allowed her to telepathically enslave people. And yet you invited her back into the Hellfire Club, and let her sponsor our membership in the Inner Circle. When the Fantastic Four defeated her, did you really think she wouldn't have pawns in the Club, dedicated to freeing her?"

Shaw stared back at her in disbelief. "But...you weren't...she couldn't have..."

"Oh, Selene _tried_ to enthrall me, Shaw...and you're right--being a clone of Jean Grey meant that I had the mutant power to resist her. I let her believe she could control me, and I let you believe you could seduce me away from her with promises of power and status. But neither of you _own_ me, Shaw--I was simply seeing what each of you had to offer me. I _had_ been siding with you, because you were on your way to naming me as the Black Queen until Moonstone showed up. But now you've made your choice, Sebastian...so I've made mine."

"Enough, Madelyne," Fitzroy interrupted. "As long as you're willing to help, Selene's control won't let me argue with you--but we must act quickly. The moon will be in position any moment." He turned and looked away--Moonstone couldn't see what had his attention. "Tessa, is everything...?"

"Yes, Mr. Fitzroy." Moonstone couldn't see Tessa, but she could see the look on Shaw's face as he realized she'd also been enthralled by Selene's powers. "The mansion is secure, and our patrons are still held captive outside the ballroom. Blackheart and Selene will have many souls to consume when they are freed." She finally entered Moonstone's field of vision and addressed her king. "Sebastian," she said calmly.

"He'll be the first, Tessa," Fitzroy explained. "The Thunderbolts will die during the sacrifice, but once our king and queen return, they'll devour Shaw's soul. If that conflicts with your obedience, I need to know before we begin."

"Tessa," Shaw mumbled. "Tessa, you can't..."

"No, Mr. Fitzroy," she replied casually, "I will do what must be done for our queen." She looked into Shaw's eyes. "I love you, Sebastian...and I wish that it were possible for Selene to enslave you as well, so we could be together when she and Blackheart conquer this plane or existence. It's too late, though--you've opposed her for too long, and she would never suffer you to live."

"You're wasting time, Tessa," Pryor chided. "Fitzroy, drag the Thunderbolts around the pentagram while I begin the incantation..."

Fitzroy sneered as he did what he was told. "Why should _you_ be the one to--?"

"Please, Trevor--I've kept tabs on your collaboration with Blackheart's demons. You can barely pronounce 'croissant,' let alone 'Lloigoroth.' I've _forgotten_ more about occult rituals than you'll ever...ever..."

Moonstone caught the disorientation in the Black Rook's voice--it was her only hope. After making sure the Inner Circle wasn't looking her way, she tried to move her toe inside her boot. It was just as she'd suspected--something, somehow, had dazed Pryor and broken her telepathic power. Sofen examined the situation--she and the other Thunderbolts were laying head-to-toe in a circle, Shaw was virtually in shock, and Selene's mind-slaves were seeing if Pryor was all right.

There was only one chance to catch Fitzroy, Tessa, and Pryor off guard. Fortunately Sofen's Moonstone mask wasn't a part of her "Black Queen" outfit; otherwise she wouldn't have been able to subtly shift her head and wink to Hawkeye. He winked back and rolled his eyes to Songbird, Atlas, and finally the carpet. Moonstone nodded slightly as she willed herself through the floor intangibly.

As she floated back up into the room, she was right behind Fitzroy and Tessa. Pryor was still stunned and didn't notice her. "What's the matter, Maddie?" Fitzroy insisted. "We have to hurry...!"

"I don't...I...it's as if another telepath ambushed me," she stammered.* "If I weren't restraining the prisoners, I could have fended it off easily, but...Trevor, turn arou--"

[* And you know who that telepath is, if you were paying close attention to our last interlude, "Harvester of Sorrows."]

Too late. Moonstone flung Fitzroy and Tessa aside like rag dolls and gave Pryor an uppercut that would redefine the term "suckerpunch." The Thunderbolts sprung into action, each covering a different member of the Inner Circle. Sofen kept a close eye on the Black Rook, ready to fire a stun-level laser blast from her hand if the telepath so much as blinked.

"Game over, Fitz," Hawkeye remarked as he pinned the White Rook to the wall. The archer had sneaked into the Hellfire Club in cognito, and without his trademark weapons; it was therefore difficult for him to properly threaten his quarry. "You give us any trouble, pal, and I'll introduce you to my 'fist arrow.'"

"Typical," Fitzroy smirked, with all the arrogance of a man who dressed like a fruit and had green hair. "Don't feel bad, Avenger--most novices usually do mistake 'check' for 'checkmate'..."

Across the room, Atlas was trying to decide if he needed to restrain Sebastian Shaw. "If you don't shut that guy up, boss, I'm gonna teach him a new game--like 'kill the guy with the ball'...hey, what's that smell?"

Moonstone noticed it too--and realized it was what Fitzroy had been talking about: Brimstone. A pillar of smoke had erupted from the far side of the Hellfire Club's ballroom, and three demonic creatures emerged. The Clan D'dl'lh had arrived.

"Thou wert to have summoned us, White Rook!" Daevonh snarled. "Thou hast let thine own sacrificial lambs lead thee to the slaughter! Now, verily, the servants of foul Blackheart himself shalt dispatch with the infidel Thunderbolts!" At once, the three demons of the clan--Daevonh, L'spahk, and B'b'rhh--hurled themselves at Songbird, Atlas, and Moonstone.

Hawkeye stopped to stare at the new combatants, which was all the time Fitzroy needed to suckerpunch the Thunderbolt. "I'll admit, I thought you had me--I didn't know the D'dl'lhs could teleport here unless I summoned them--but you might say the tables have turned, eh?" Fitzroy was wearing a bizarre, crystalline suit of armor as he stood over the archer. "It's called 'omnium mesh chrono-armor,' if you were wondering. Your little Moonstone _did_ tell you I'm from the future, I assume?"

As she overheard the exchange, Moonstone was trying to recall if she had indeed told Hawkeye that small detail. Her thoughts, however, were primarily focused on B'b'rhh's assault. "Thou didst acquit thyself well in our last encounter, female!"* the demon slobbered as he tossed her into a wall. "Mayhap Blackheart might condemn thee to be my personal--"

[* Chapter 9.]

"Some other time," she groaned as she gave B'b'rhh her best haymaker. "I've spent so much of this mission seducing the enemy, even I can't remember who's side I'm on..." The blow sent B'b'rhh reeling, but she knew the monster was too powerful to be stunned for long. A fair fight wasn't Moonstone's style, though. She began scanning the battle for an edge.

"C'mon, Daevonh!" Songbird was taunting to one of the D'dl'lhs. "Give me one of your little speeches, numb-nuts! About 'thou shalt not steal,' or 'verily, I doth sucketh!'" Like Hawkeye, she'd left much of her equipment behind to sneak into the Hellfire Club; without certain components of her sonic carapace, she couldn't form solid-sound wings. Moonstone had no idea Songbird was so light on her feet, although dodging Daevonh's fiery breath was surely a factor. L'spahk was proving just as agile against Atlas. His ability to teleport around the giant Thunderbolt allowed him to get his licks in. Nearby, Hawkeye was just minutes away from getting crushed under Fitzroy's futuristic armor. The Thunderbolts had barely driven off the Clan D'dl'lh when it was six-on-three; four-on-four was going to be the death of them.

The answer hit her when she turned to find Sebastian Shaw, standing as if he was still immobilized by Madelyne Pryor. Before she could act, Moonstone noticed B'br'rhh in the corner of her eye, and gave the demon a laser blast to prolong his recovery. "Shaw," she insisted, "you have to snap out of it...I know your world's been turned upside-down, but..."

Shaw said nothing.

On the bright side, he wasn't in shock. Sofen's first guess was that he just couldn't decide how to react to the Inner Circle's betrayal. She had to change that. "Look, you've always been in control of your surroundings--you worked hard to achieve that. I...can relate. But you can't just stand there and pout just because you've lost your power base, or your companions, or even your own mind!" As Moonstone turned to prevent B'b'rhh from attempting an ambush, she noticed her Freudian slip.

Not that it mattered; Shaw remained transfixed.

"Oh, for--this is the great and powerful Sebastian Shaw? The Shaw who became a millionaire before he was twenty? I conned Fitzroy, but I was seriously tempted to betray the Thunderbolts for you, and now you can't even defend yourself! I thought you were using this little tea party to take over the world, Shaw! Didn't you realize a little backstabbing comes with the territory, you...you--" she searched for the most effective phrase "--you numb-nuts!" With that, Moonstone reared back and gave Shaw a superhumanly powerful right hook.

Again, Shaw remained still, barely quivering from the force of the blow. This time, however, it was intentional; already his mutant power was transferring the kinetic energy into his own strength. With a deep breath, he finally acknowledged her. "Thank you, Dr. Sofen...that will be all."

Moonstone watched in amazement as Shaw leapt towards Fitzroy, colliding with his nemesis. At once both men began to strike one another with a fury previously unseen in the battle. "You're too late, Sebastian!" Fitzroy smirked. "Even your little Tessa's turned against you! You've lost the Hellfire Club!" Armored fists smashed into Shaw's head repeatedly.

But nothing Fitzroy did affected the Black King. "Lost, have I?" Shaw roared. "It isn't the first time some insolent fool has gained the advantage from me--but you forget, Trevor...I've always taken it _back_!" With each strike, Shaw became stronger and stronger. From within his transparent, futuristic armor, the White Rook began to see omnium mesh crumple and warp.

As the two men fought, Karla Sofen watched in fascination...ignoring B'b'rhh, who had finally recovered from her assault. By the time she noticed the D'dl'lh skulking up behind her, its arms were raised above her, ready to strike. She stared up at the monster, and felt a strange sense of satisfaction--as if being killed by the demon would be acceptable, now that she'd reaffirmed her loyalty to--

"Move!" Moonstone felt the impact in her ribs, not her head. By the time her life had finished flashing before her eyes, she realized that she'd been pushed aside. Hawkeye was wrestling around B'b'rhh's massive frame, trying to keep the creature from tearing Sofen--or himself--to ribbons. "C'mon, ugly--give it your best shot! Everybody thinks the guy with the arrows is easy pickin's!" Hawkeye reached around B'b'rhh's brow, clawing at his eyes. "Ain't how it works, gruesome! I can kick your ass without the repulsor rays and the magic hammers--it's just gonna take longer!"

"Hawkeye, get _down_ from there!" Moonstone demanded. "I can't get a clear shot!"

The Thunderbolts' leader said nothing, aside from a few grunts and groans as he wrangled B'br'rhh. Instead he found a moment's respite to stare at Moonstone, with a look of determined arrogance. She knew the expression well: "_I'll_ deal with this. The others need your help more." There was no sense in arguing with Hawkeye; it would be quicker to stop the other D'dl'lhs so Songbird and Atlas could help her pry him off of B'br'rhh's back.

She launched into the air, and dived headlong into Daevonh. Slim, yet powerful fingers pressed against the demon's lips, forcing his mouth open. The creature's bones were too strong to break, but hyperextending its jaw had to hurt like hell. Moonstone felt a familiar hum around her fingers, and then saw a sonic field taking shape in Daevonh's mouth. Just as she'd hoped, her attack had given Songbird time to catch her breath. The sonic vice finished the job, causing Daevonh to black out from the pain.

"So I take it you're _not_ turning on us to be Shaw's penthouse pet," Songbird quipped to Moonstone. "You might have revealed that a little sooner, and saved us some hassle..."

"Hmph...that's what you get for making me sing 'Jesse's Girl,'"* Sofen replied. "Go help Shaw."

[* You had to be there, or read Chapter 9.]

"But Atlas--"

"You're the only one who can penetrate Fitzroy's armor--go!" She hoped she was right. Shaw had cracked the chrono-armor, but it might take him hours to fully compromise it. Songbird's powers, on the other hand, were more versatile than the Black King's; between the two of them, perhaps--

Moonstone jerked her head at the sight of Daevonh moving in the corner of her eye. The demon wasn't regaining consciousness, however--it was decomposing. As powerful as the Clan D'dl'lh was, she and Songbird couldn't have inflicted this much damage. It was as if some sort of auto-destruct failsafe had been triggered, not unlike the freakish idiots who blew themselves up before her eyes a few weeks ago.*

[* The Qonkystadorz, in Chapter 3.]

But before she could find the connection, a seizing pain ignited in her mind. Pryor, she realized. Moonstone sank to her knees, unable to steel herself against the psychic assault. "It's too late, Doctor," the Black Rook spat as she approached her victim. "You forced me to give up on an alliance with Shaw, and I can't let you ruin my backup plan!" As Pyror dragged her across the ballroom floor, Moonstone could do little more than wince. She began to taste blood trickling from her nose--blood Pryor would need for the summoning ritual.

Songbird, Atlas, Hawkeye, and even Shaw were preoccupied--not that Moonstone could see this, since the pain was blurring her vision, but it was a fairly decent guess. "No, they don't see us, Sofen," Pryor explained. "Whatever it was that disrupted my powers has left me with just enough to cloak my activities from their senses. Besides--one Thunderbolt's blood will be more than enough to bring Blackheart here, so he can slaughter you all!"

Madelyne Pryor began to recite some bizarre incantation--the mental agony made it impossible for Moonstone to recognize whether or not it was English--as the full moon rose into view from the ballroom's elaborate skylight. The Inner Circle had installed lenses into it, which now focused the moonbeam into an intense ray of light aimed at the summoning circle. The blinding light was the last thing Moonstone would see before her blood began to burn.

"That's right," Pryor grinned. "Lay back and die...give up your soul for the foulness of my master...I summon thee, cruel Blackheart! The Goblin Queen...the apprentice of your consort...beckons...!" The moon hovered over the pentagram for long moments, as Thunderbolts and demons fought all around. And just as Pryor finished the incantation provided by the D'dl'lhs...nothing happened.

Except that a hand shot up to wrap around Madelyne Pryor's neck.

"No answer?" Moonstone was now standing, hoisting the Black Rook in the air by the throat. "That's too bad, Madelyne...maybe this devil you're trying to summon doesn't like you! Maybe he's been talking to your ex-husband!"

Pryor blinked as she gasped for breath. "You...how?"

"I don't know...one minute you had me down, and the next your little mind-tricks weren't working!" She held Pryor at arm's length, and finished her with a left to the jaw. "As long as I got to do _that_, I don't even care how it happened. Heads up, Hawkeye!" Karla Sofen waited for the archer to leap out of the way, and fired a laser right between B'b'rhh's eyes. She wasn't prepared for the power of the blast, but neither was the D'dl'lh, who collapsed in one shot.

That just left L'spahk, and its nasty habit of teleporting in and out of Moonstone's line of sight. She stared intently, never moving out of the moonbeam, waiting for the creature to materialize in just the right spot. When the moment came, however, she didn't have a chance to discharge a blast from her hands. Instead her eyes began to glow, until the energy burst from her sockets, destroying the monster. L'spahk fell to the ground without ever knowing what had hit it; her attacker wasn't so sure herself.

Finally rid of L'spahk, Atlas shrank down to normal size and checked on Moonstone. "Karla, what the heck _was_ that?" the Thunderbolt asked. "I didn't know you got your powers from the moon..."

"The moon?" She looked up, and saw the skylight slowly dim as clouds passed in front of the full moon. "I...I _don't_, Atlas...my powers come from some sort of meteor that just happened to be found there. I don't know..."

"Zip it, Moonstone," Hawkeye ordered. "Songbird, are you through with Fitzroy yet?"

"I should say so, Avenger." Sebastian Shaw was holding up the prone frame of the White Rook's armor, as Songbird was slowly pouring sonic energy into the cracks. "Your charming young friend has proven to be most entertaining."

Hawkeye smirked. "Yeah, she's a keeper, awright. OK, Fitz, your buddies have melted, and your big master plan to kill us has just made Moonstone even more capable of smearing you across Manhattan. So how about dropping the Iron Man act and comin' along peacefully, huh?"

Fitzroy shook his head. "You don't understand, Thunderbolts...I'm Selene's mind-slave...I _have_ to rescue her! I can't...I don't see how...it should have worked..."

"I say thee nay, White Rook!" All eyes turned to B'b'rhh, who was beginning to melt like its fellow D'dl'lhs. "Thou hast e'er been the pawn, and not merely that of Selene and Blackheart! They may be thy master, but they are most assuredly not ours."

"All right then, fugly," Hawkeye insisted. "Which wannabe Beelzebub do you work for? Satannish? Mephisto?"

"Nay, mortal...'tis no demon thou dost see before thee..." B'b'rhh began to lose control of his liquefying face. "We wert merely pretenders, created to lead you through yon charade...and to reveal our true intent once thou had been tested."

"That explains the cheesy, Thor-esque dialogue. But tested by whom?" Moonstone pressed.

There was no response--B'b'rhh was designed to taunt the Thunderbolts with the truth, not to explain it to them. The creature collapsed into a warm stain of protoplasm on the Hellfire Club ballroom. Trevor Fitzroy's plans had made a deal with false devils and lost even more than his soul. He had begun the day as the White Rook, the thrall of Selene, the herald of Blackheart, the man who would defeat Sebastian Shaw.

Now he was just a man who dressed like a fruitcake and had green hair.

***

It had taken about half an hour for Sebastian Shaw to take charge of the Hellfire Club's security forces, which had been holding the club's patrons hostage for Fitzroy. Police cars were lined up in front of the Fifth Avenue mansion, escorting befuddled billionaires out of the building. No one, of course, had any idea that the root of the emergency was the Inner Circle's quest for power. As far as the authorities were concerned, a few insane mutants had wormed their way into the club's administration and had suddenly launched into a psychotic frenzy during the evening's festivities. That was, after all, the story given to them by Sebastian Shaw, who was a respectable, upstanding citizen of New York.

Behind the mansion, and far from the prying eyes of New York's Finest, the city's most wanted fugitives were regrouping. Jolt and Charcoal had just arrived from Central Park to exchange stories with their fellow Thunderbolts.

"So these mutants you met in Central Park must have been the ones who screwed with the Black Rook's telepathy,"* Atlas commented after listening to the teenagers. "Good thing, too--we just about through before that happened..."

[* See? Toldja to read Interlude II, didn't I?]

"I'm just glad Ms. Frost came through in the end," Charcoal added. "But after all, we did help them beat that zombie guy in the park..."

Jolt nodded. "Yeah, I've got a bad feeling we'll be seeing him again. I need to fill Hawkeye and Moonstone in on--"

"We can do that later," Songbird interrupted. "It's been at least two hours since I've heard from Archangel...he should have shown up by now..." The other Thunderbolts only had an inkling about her real concerns. Archangel was a comrade, and naturally they were all concerned. Songbird, on the other hand, was primarily trying to sort out the kiss he had given her before running off to get captured by Tessa. "Shaw's not gonna let the police go through his clubhouse, guys--we gotta go back and look for him..."

***

"...And that's the whole story, Detective. Sorry I didn't know more about it, but it was an undercover operation, and I had to lay low through a lot of it."

"Not a problem, Hawkeye," the detective answered. "Between you and Mister Shaw, I think we've got everything cleared up. Those three mutants you captured should be in high-security cells by morning...but if you think we should get in touch with the Avengers...?"

"The Avengers? Nah, I'll file a report on all this for 'em later--you don't need to worry about it." With that, the police began to focus on questioning the various witnesses gathered outside the Hellfire Club, leaving Hawkeye and Sebastian Shaw alone. "So, we got a deal, 'your highness?'"

Shaw paused to watch the police wagon containing Trevor Fitzroy, Madelyne Pryor, and Tessa sped away. "I...yes, Hawkeye. The police will have to believe my innocence in this affair with an Avenger supporting my story."

"And all you have to do in return," Hawkeye smiled, "is tell the reporters that you an' your innocent ass got saved by Hawkeye..._and_ the Thunderbolts. Protecting your social status doesn't mean jack to me unless you use it to show how my pals are good guys."

"Understood, bowman," Shaw replied, and shook Hawkeye's hand. "I did mean what I said earlier--I'd feel safer knowing your team was dead and only I was left to tell the story--but the Thunderbolts have saved me...in several ways tonight. Leave at your discretion...our conflict is over."

As Shaw somberly walked back into his nearly empty mansion, Hawkeye headed for the side of the building, into the shadows. "Get the others," he told Moonstone. "Everything's aces."

"You're upset."

"What? Because I lied to the police to protect a scuzzball like Sebastian? Shaw had to send his whole power base to jail, and he has to thank us to cover his own ass. I can live with that."

"No," Moonstone shook her head, "about me. I nearly betrayed you, Clint. You're too smart to accept that I did the right thing in the end and let it go at that. You know I was seriously considering the offer to become Black Queen."

Hawkeye sighed and searched for the right words. "Lady...let's get something straight. You think you're hot stuff because you're a shrink who screws with people's heads, an' you're right. But I've had women screwin' with my head all my life. Now I'm crazy about you, Karla, but I ain't stupid. If you ever _do_ push me too far, you won't have to ask if I'm upset. Comprende?"

"Er...'comprende.'"

"Good. Now, have you figured out what made your powers go all--?"

"Hawkeye!" The familiar voice came from above. "The Inner Circle ambushed me--locked me away in the catacombs under the building--but I finally escaped! Is everyone all right? Did Songbird--?"

"Archangel." As promised, no one had to ask if Hawkeye was upset. "You've got a helluva nerve, pal. What were you _thinking_?"

"What do you--?"

"We had a _plan_, Angel--and you went running off to play hero by yourself! If you'd stayed in position, maybe we could have ended this whole thing sooner--maybe that Pryor lady wouldn't have damn near gotten us all killed!"

"Maddie...?" Archangel was becoming frustrated. "Look, how was I supposed to know she--"

"I don't wanna _hear_ it!" Hawkeye shouted. "I took over this team so I could give them a fair shake at redeemin' themselves, but we can't do that with you droppin' the ball!"

"What's all the commo--Warren!" The other Thunderbolts came running from behind the Hellfire Club to rejoin their teammates. Songbird immediately rushed up to hug Archangel. "We were looking all over for you!"

Hawkeye rubbed his forehead. "Look, team, I'm glad you're here, because I only wanna have to say this once. You're good people, Angel, but you're not a team player--not with this team, anyway..."

Archangel stared at the Thunderbolts' leader in disbelief. "So that's it? You're just going to kick me out, because I didn't graduate the Hawkeye School of Taking Orders? You wouldn't have even known the Hellfire Club was trying to kill you if it hadn't been for me!"

"Warren," Songbird pleaded, "at least try to--"

"No, Melissa, I'm sick of having to justify everything I do! Good luck with your redemption campaign, folks--because right here and now, Archangel is cutting out!" Giant wings stretched into the air, and before any of the Thunderbolts could react, Archangel was taking off into the night sky.

"Should I go after him, Hawkeye?" Charcoal asked after spending a few seconds staring into space.

"Naw...Let him go, Charlie. It's for the best."

And without her sonic carapace--without her solid-sound wings--there was nothing Songbird could do but obey Hawkeye's command...and stare helplessly at the figure vanishing into the clouds.

***

Elsewhere...

"They'll be returning shortly." The man who had impersonated--and murdered--the USAgent was back inside Mount Charteris, speaking to his lackeys. "The demons were designed to disintegrate by now. They've begun to discover the truth."

"Demons or no demons, sir--it's possible the Hellfire Club managed to beat them."

"In that case, the point would be moot. But no, the Thunderbolts have surely survived to return to this facility. Remember, they're formidable opponents--do _not_ underestimate them when they arrive."

"Don't get your panties in a wad, boss--if there's one group that can kill the Thunderbolts, it's the Marauders..."

[next part]

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