Chapter 205: A Surprise from Mr. Sinister

Dante watched Maria Hill lock Natasha in and sent her a thought through telepathy. “I’m leaving.”

Natasha nodded inside the cell and sat down on the bed, closing her eyes. Alone in the cell, she seemed to be stressing over possibilities.

“Trust in me.”

“I will…” she whispered before lying down. “I’ll pray for a better future.”

He turned away and sighed. Now that he had the exact coordinates of her holding cell, he could teleport straight inside and pull her out whenever he pleased. All that remained was securing the Widows and then Natasha’s leash would be gone for good.

Using the classic mystic teleportation, he blinked back to the lobby of his home. Surprisingly, he found the place back in its pristine condition as though the entire battle had nothing more than a bad dream.

The cause was a familiar energy lingering in the air, which he could sense even without his activating any Resonance Link.

‘Death, you did this?’

“Felicia pleaded… she said Silvija would be sad.” Death seemed a bit timid talking about Felicia. “It felt right doing something for both of them.”

‘Thanks.’

He couldn’t help but smile. Death had come a long way. From calling them mortal, fleeting beings to bonding with them personally. While he had grown into a physical powerhouse, Death had matured emotionally as a person. She had learned to love and bond beyond the boundaries of a cosmic being.

It wasn’t just her. Within the restored splendor, everyone had changed.

“We’re getting Mexican,” Illyana insisted. “Come on. How can you say no to tacos and enchiladas?” She held Laura’s shoulders, looking dead serious. “Churros are so sweet and delicious, too! Give them a try, will you?!”

Illyana was a sucker for sweet treats, which was very unlike her brother. Piotr was a big fan of spicy food and vodka.

“Chinese,” Laura insisted back with her arms crossed, not buying into Illyana’s suggestion. It was Natasha’s influence rubbing off on her, no doubt. “Chinese tastes the best after a fight.”

“You’re both stupid. We’re getting Steak,” Felicia added from the side as she examined her nails. “And lots of seared, dripping meat. We’ll celebrate the American way.”

“Racist,” Illyana fired a wild accusation, which left Felicia speechless. “I’m joking.”

“I’m a racist,” Laura proclaimed with a smug grin. “Bet I’ll be first if we compete in a race.”

Dante didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his lover’s innocence. SHIELD really had skewed her common sense. He could only imagine what type of shenanigans she would pull in the university, which would be starting soon.

Off to the side, Piotr was beaming a grin, his left arm slung around Gambit’s shoulders like they were friends. Remy, for his part, looked like a man being slowly boiled alive. The source of his suffering was none other than the blonde woman glaring daggers at him from across the room.

Bella Donna, his ex-wife.

The only thing keeping her rooted was Candra’s presence. Left to her own devices, she’d have marched over and slapped Remy across his handsome face before burying him under a mountain of questions he never could answer in a lifetime.

Surprisingly, Gambit freed himself from Piotr and walked over to Bella Donna. Her eyes narrowed, as if daring him to try something.

“Milady, you got the wrong… gentleman,” he said, flashing his most charming, most innocent smile. “My name is Remy Junior the Third from the streets of London. What is your beautiful name?”

“Trash.” The only word she spoke was dripping with nine lives worth of contempt. She turned on her heel and moved over to Candra’s side, refusing to spare Remy another glance.

Remy exhaled the breath he had been holding. “I thought I was about to die.”

Piotr gave Remy’s shoulder a friendly squeeze. Either he was blissfully deaf to the entire exchange or chose to act this way.

“What is your deal with her, eh? She looks at you as though she wishes to peel your skin. That is terrifying! You must tell me everything, my friend. Everything!”

Remy pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s just a misunderstanding, Piotr. I’ve never met that woman in my life.”

“Ah, of course, of course.” Piotr nodded slowly, looking between Remy and Bella Donna. “A man is entitled to his secrets, but when you are ready to speak of her, I’ll be here. Farming teaches patience, you know.”

Remy let out a deep sigh. “Alright, Piotr.”

Meanwhile, at the far end of the lobby, Candra stood before Ororo, who was sitting on a lobby chair. A dim red glow spilled from Candra’s hands, enveloping Ororo in a soft crimson cocoon.

Ororo glanced up with a look of hesitation. “Will it actually work?”

“Don’t doubt my capabilities, little girl. I have lived longer than your grand, grand, grandmother’s grandfather. If my powers were complete, I could have reversed it in one second.”

Candra was doing his job of helping Ororo. He had just been too busy to make any progress in X-Gene restoration as one problem rolled into the next. He could trust Candra to not screw this up since she was wise enough to not sabotage the man who had erased Apocalypse from existence.

“I’m curious about something, little girl. Has Dante informed you about your magic potential?”

Dante never checked Ororo for her talent in sorcery. Her powers made her quite powerful already, so there wasn’t any realistic use for her to waste time learning sorcery.

Ororo’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I have magic potential?”

“You very much do and it’s not an average potential either. If someone taught right, you could reach the same heights Agamotto once did. I can’t understand why that boy is wasting your potential.”

“He might not be aware.”

Candra chuckled. “You don’t think he wants to keep you down? Humans always despise being beneath someone.”

“He isn’t like that,” Ororo defended him in a firm voice, which had him smiling. “I wouldn’t be here if he was. You should know that, too, since you claim to be his mother.”

“Only in name, that is. I gave birth to him, but he grew on his own… I’m still surprised he doesn’t smoke or drink. His powers will let him get away with just about any bad habit.”

“He has one bad habit that’s slightly problematic.”

Candra clicked her tongue. “Hardly a flaw in my eyes. People nowadays are utterly devoid of reasoning and common sense.”

“How is that… related?”

“How will the world evolve if we do not have powerful and talented people leading the charge?” Candra asked before answering her own question, “We let great men and women have multiple partners. The more partners they have, the more chances we’ll have at finding their successors.”

“But Earth has the most talent we’ve ever seen. If you don’t believe me, look at how much we’ve advanced in just one decade,” Ororo fired back. “Internet, smartphones, Google, new grounds in biology that I’m not knowledgeable enough to talk about, and a lot more…”

“Yet all of your mankind would fall before one invasion from the Brood. One symbiote colony would wipe everyone out,” Candra snorted in disdain. “As for your technology advancements, they are trivial. Out in space, you’ll find far more advanced civilizations. Even Asgard dwarfs everything you’ve built.”

Ororo stayed quiet this time. The other party was a mutant older than a millennium while she was just a woman in her twenties. Her experiences were wide and varied compared to the general populace but quite measly compared to Candra.

“This is how old kingdoms and dynasties ruled. How it should be,” Candra continued lecturing Ororo while working on recovering her powers.

As for Emma, she leaned against the reception desk with her arms crossed, looking zoned out. The Egypt trip had left her quite exhausted.

Dante walked to her side and disabled Death’s cloak, allowing himself to be visible.

“Oh.” Emma wasn’t surprised at all, having grown accustomed to him materializing out of thin air every now and then. She did look a bit silly with that big grin on her face. “You look disgustingly happy. What’s the occasion?”

“I got blessed by the gods.”

Emma’s eyes sharpened as if she could see right through him. “You made out with someone.”

“Natasha,” he said honestly. “Aren’t you hungry?”

The corner of her mouth twitched. She wasn’t remotely pleased with how smoothly he had pivoted the conversation. But there was nothing for her to say. He had never once lied to her. He had never been coy about what he was or what he wanted. The choice, as always, was entirely hers to make.

“She was already known as your bride. You just made things official.”

“Nothing is official yet.”

The trio of Laura, Felicia, and Illyana noticed him and swarmed him at once.

He held up a hand. “Girls, Emma said she’ll let us celebrate at her club. Everything is on her tonight.”

Emma let out a sigh. “I haven’t been there since the whole Selene ordeal.”

“Nice!” Laura cheered, then her expression shifted. Her nose wrinkled as she leaned in and gave his clothes a deep sniff. “You were intimate with Natasha.”

Laura had spent too much time with Natasha to not be familiar with every note in the redhead’s scent. Right now, that scent was all over him.

Felicia had a smug expression, like someone whose prediction had just come true. “Typical of him.”

“Let the man have his fun,” Illyana said with a chuckle, completely dismissive about the whole thing. “Real talk, though. I’m so starving I could eat a whole dino.”

“Darling, even my wealth can’t get you dino meat,” Emma said. “How about you settle for their descendants? Chicken, perhaps?”

Illyana’s eyes went round. “Chickens are descendants of dinosaurs? Is that true?”

“All birds are descendants of theropods, the same group that had T-Rex and Velociraptor. Isn’t that why they have dino nuggets?”

“Whoa, I had no idea.”

Emma arched one eyebrow smugly. “Darling, who is going to teleport us? You or Illyana?”

“Me, of course—”

“Nobody moves!” The giant screen in the lobby cut to black with a flicker, then turned on with Mister Sinister’s pale face. His creepy smile was still as sinister as ever. “Ah, thank goodness this screen has a camera. I would have hated to miss all those lovely shocked faces.”

In the back, Gambit’s face paled at the sight of his old employer. “I’m not here,” he whispered. “This is Remy Junior the Third from the streets of London. Never worked for that man a day in my life.”

Dante wasn’t amused in the slightest by either of their performances. “What do you want?”

“Oh, you won’t be nearly so indifferent once you see this.” Sinister stepped out of frame and gestured toward a shiny red curtain rigged up behind him like a magician’s reveal. “This felt like a perfect moment for a dramatic countdown. Ten, nine, eight, and so forth, but I’m afraid neither of us have patience as our virtues. So! Without further ado!”

The curtain rose, revealing a sight that left everyone shocked. Jean and Psylocke were unconscious and bound to a pillar by thick metal chains. Beneath their feet, a wide pool of acid bubbled and hissed. The said acid pool crept up inch by inch with every passing second as more liquid flowed into the pool through a pipe. They only had about ten minutes before it reached their feet and about twenty minutes before both women were swallowed completely.

“Psy?! Jean?!” Felicia’s voice trembled before the horror on her face turned into a feral expression. “Leave them alone, bastard. Or I’ll rip your heart out through your ribs.”

She had only started getting close to Psylocke, but Jean was one of her good friends. She was viciously protective toward every one of her people.

Laura growled deep in her throat like a beast threatening someone. “Let them go.”

Piotr’s skin hardened as steel flowed over his flesh. “Don’t touch my comrades, asshole. My fists won’t forgive you otherwise.”

Emma and Illyana said nothing but for different reasons. Emma knew threats were meaningless in the current situation. Illyana’s eyes were filled with cold fury; she was barely holding herself back from teleporting to their location. He had handed everyone’s safety over to her, so she might be feeling responsible for this development.

Ororo tried to get on her feet, but Candra’s telekinesis held her in place.

"What exactly do you intend to do without your powers? Be another hostage to worry my son over?" Candra asked sharply. "Sit down. Rage all you like after we're done."

Ororo lowered her head, her hands clenched on her lap. “Be swift.”