Mufasa: Days of Future Past Chapter 1: Motivations 2010. The sentinels have already taken over North America and are busy seeing to the genocide of homo superior and its ilk. The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Acolytes, Spiderman, Excalibur, and most of the X-Men have fallen to might of these machines. Rumor is on the grapevine that there is one last free remaining group of X-Men somewhere off the coast of Oregon, but whether or not that is true remains to be seen. At first, the Hellfire Club (fully reunited again) was safe. Wade Wilson, the Black King, had safely seen to the relocation of the Hellfire Club and its charges to the remnants of the Amazon Rainforest. However, Nimrod sentinels had soon found the location. Madrox, Tangerine, SlashR, Havoc, Avalon, Outburst, and Shockwave gave their lives stalling long enough for the new Black King Impossible Man to transport the surviving Hellions to the secret village known as Shangri-La. Shortly thereafter, the surviving members of the Hellfire Club had a dispute over what direction to take. After the White King Grover and the Headmaster Gomurr slew each other, the Hellfire Club once again split into two factions… except that this time it grew more violent… and deadly. As Grover lay dying, he whispered his last words to his best friend, Havok, begging him to continue the search for the chosen one… the one that would lead this damned world out of the darkness that gripped it. Havok had asked what he was looking for, but he only received one answer. The "chosen one" is out there somewhere… He or she could be of any age. The only thing certain was that this "chosen one" was the only person left in the world who carried the mark of the crimson dawn. Everyone else had been wiped out… At that point, Havok renounced all ties with the Hellfire Club to begin his search… ************ 2014. By now, just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. All that remains of the X-Men is a small band off the coast of India. Very few members of the Hellfire Club survived the inner strife. Most that did only did so because they renounced their ties early on. It, like the other groups of people, fell. Now, the earth was worse than it ever was. Children and adults alike are dying of formerly obscure diseases such as malaria, chicken pox, the legacy virus, diphtheria, and dysentery. It has become a dangerous time… and there are few that can survive… Grover Breslin had seen many things in his seven years of life. Although he was too young to remember, big machine men take Washington D.C. on live television, he remembered vividly what happened after that. He watched towns… entire cities crumble before his very eyes. Then, the smaller machine men cut down his mother in the attack in South America. His father left took him out of the Himalayas just before the dissolution of the Hellfire Club to opposing factions… when his godfather and the old midget killed each other. "Daddy, I'm sorry!" Michael Breslin jumped off the support column, digging his already morphed hands into the concrete to slow his descent. At this point, he considered Grover his very life. He would do anything for his son… even jump a motorcycle off the side of a crumbling interstate overpass. His very demeanor reminded Havok so much of Grover's mother. Then, of course, the red hair and energy-based powers didn't hurt, either. Right now, he was tired… Tired of running from place to place… tired of carrying his son… tired of this shithole the world became. Damn… Sometimes he wished he were drinking again. No… Margaret had begged him to give it up after little Grover was born. He made a promise and he kept it… Too bad that less than a year later the sentinels up and wrecked the entire country. "I told you not to take that watch off… I told you…" Grover did not realize that the watch hid his mutant energy signature from the sentinels' scanners. He had taken it off for a second… to scratch at the skin where it rubbed. It only took that split second to be detected by the Omega Class sentinels. Now, they were up to their eyeballs in sentinels. It looked pretty hopeless… Their only chance was to get to the sewer system. "Daddy… I'm scared…" "Whatever you do… Keep your arms around my neck. Do not let go for anything… and if you wet your pants, that's a spanking!" Behind him, he collapsed the remnants of the intersection of Interstate 75 with Route 35. He breathed a sigh of relief as the scout sentinel was crushed. Dayton, Ohio was not normally known as the Mecca of sentinels. Other than the pollution and the mosquitos, the only thing it was known was as the home town of Bruce Banner… the man who would later become the Incredible Hulk after being irradiated at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. WPAFB was still quite away from here. Traveling down Interstate 75 would have been too obvious strategically for the sentinels to look there… At least it was, until his son took off the wristwatch. "Grover, we are almost in Moraine. Then, we can slip under the sewers." "No, human. Your mutant spawn will not be traveling anywhere but the Mutant Detention Camp. Surrender the child now or risk immediate extermination." Damn… it was a nimrod class sentinel… it resembled something like Bastion's predecessor did before he took on a human form. Luckily, it was not fitted with mutant-dampening powers. However… it was even more deadlier than the earlier incarnations. Havok ripped the watch off his wrist. He was not about to allow Grover to die as he allowed his mother. Damn it, Margaret… Why did you have to go and be so damn heroic? He was the father… it was HIS job to go get killed. "Surprise, surprise… Daddy's a mutie too!" The photovaltic blast ripped through the optical sensors, exploding the head. Quickly, he ripped open the exoshell. He had to find the co-processor… hurry… before it reformed. "Grover… go inside that manhole right now… and run! Run like you never have before… and PUT THAT DAMN WATCH BACK ON!" "Yes, Daddy!" Grover jumped down the manhole and started running. Damn… in these parts of the sewers it was dark… and narrow… and he couldn't see where he was headed… Havok finally ran across the coprocessor. "Shit! I can't wreck…" An electrical surge jolted out of the coprocessor, knocking Havok back away. He slowly got up in time to see the nimrod approach him slowly. "I don't suppose that we can talk about this…" The nimrod's eyes charged up for the final blast. "Negative, mutant. The use of lethal force has been authorized… and will be completed…" Another nimrod landed in front of him. "Negative. Orders from Tribunal in Washington D.C. This one is to be remanded to my custody for interrogation at WPAFB. It is about the band of mutants that escaped extermination in the Amazon Rainforest." The first nimrod's eyes flashed and then hovered up. "Affirmative. I shall return to base to await further instructions from command." "Hey! Don't I get a say in this?" He was glad that the sentinels had apparently forgot about his son. He hoped that Grover could get far… and meet up with some people who will save him. This was a cruel world. He felt sorry for him… He knew what it was like to lose both parents… "Negative mutant. You would be advised to submit." An energy cord shot out from the second Nimrod's hand, encircling Havok so he could not move. After the first nimrod was out of visual range, the second one emitted a flash of light. They were immediately transported into a large room apparently underground. Immediately, Havok knew that this was no Air Force Base. In fact… this was no sentinel base either. "Hey! What the hell…" The nimrod's shell opened down the middle. Then, a man stepped out. Havok could not believe his eyes. Someone had technology that could fool a sentinel? Of course, the man looked familiar… "You don't think you could…" The cord disappeared. "Sorry, Havok. I forgot that I had that around you." "Havok? Now, that is a name I haven't heard in years…" That voice… it couldn't be… Khalid pulled the nimrod mask off his face. "WHEW! You wouldn't believe how hot these things get." Havok looked around. The only thing he was concerned about was his son. "Hey… Did you guys…" "DADDY!!!" Grover Breslin ran over, hugging his father around the waist. "It was really dark and scary… I thought I was going to be lost forever… and then the lady came and saved me." "Lady?" "Yes… Me…" The former White Queen walked into the light. She was still as beautiful as ever, but the years had definitely taken their toll. She was rougher… more mental… and more dangerous than she ever was before. "How are you doing, Michael?" Khalid stood for a minute, looking at the child. A look of intense sadness came across his face. He turned around and walked toward the computer. "Alison, we need to talk about the sensors…" Alison Renault turned in her chair, the silvery hair that was the family trademark, following her body. She had grown up to be quite a well-raised lady. Silver had done well with her. Nowadays, her proficiency at technology was unparalleled. "All right, Mufasa. What's up?" Blackfire sat in the chair with Grover already sleeping on her lap. "I'm glad to see you're alive. At least you didn't get caught up in the politics…" "Sharon, I couldn't afford to. Grover needed me… When the Hellfire Club started that fighting amongst itself, I got him out of the situation. With Margaret gone…" Sharon Stokes stopped at that thought. Shockwave and Havok's romance and marriage had been somewhat scandalous when it occurred. They had married on Rahsas' birthday… the year following his death. Yet… she really was not one to judge other people. "I can't believe that after the sentinels killed some of them that they turned on each other." "It was happening before… It just was the spark that ignited the fire." He stopped. "Hmmm… That's my son, all right… Just seven and he already knows where to rest his head. Normally he is nervous around other people." Blackfire looked down at Grover, who had settled his head on her chest. She threw Havok a joking glare and shook her head. She had missed his sense of humor. For a minute, she wondered… Grover had not come toward her until she lit up the sewers. Perhaps in someway, she reminded him of his mother… For a minute, she thought about her own children. Thank god Iceblade got them to Australia… "Yeah, he has your nose." Khalid came in. "Hey Sharon… Alison needs help with the sensor array. You can put the kid in the guest room…" Havok was on his feet. "No! Grover stays with me. He goes where I go. He will not be out of my sight." Khalid locked eyes with Havok. "Trust me, he will be fine. Besides… he does not need to hear what I must tell you." Blackfire touched his arm. "Please, Michael? He'll be safe. Trust me. This is something you need to hear." Havok was tense. He nodded his head. Sharon, he would trust with his life, no matter what. Khalid was a different story altogether. Sometime around the turn of the century, Khalid finally managed to learn how to activate his powers consciously and actually became a useful member of the Hellfire Club… although it was the wrong branch! It had actually been discovered that his seemingly unrelated abilities were very much related… (To be revealed in the next story…) With this discovery, the Mufasa entity had finally allowed itself to be integrated into Khalid's psyche… A few years, he had reluctantly agreed to be Cougar's apprentice to learn his skills. It was right after his apprenticeship ended that Khalid quit the Hellfire Club, cutting all ties with it, apparently for no reason. He had refused to even accept reserve status, without any explanation. The time came where the club needed his services, and he refused outright. In 2006, after the country had gone to pot, Khalid had asked the Red King for assistance in a personal matter. He received it, but it was not for free. It was at the end that he realized that the price was too great. In a rage, he slew Ryan Jensen. Until four years ago, Khalid had been considered an enemy of the Hellfire Club. (That became debatable when the entire Hellfire Club became at each other's throats.) Havok had several questions on his mind, all right. Why had Blackfire and Mainframe (Alison Renault) left the Hellfire Club to join him? Why did they risk their lives to save him? Why was his power turned on all the time? Why did he get skittish around Grover? Was there something about Grover that he didn't know about? "What do you want, Mufasa?" Khalid took him into a room with a video screen. "Right now, we are a mile beneath the Miamisburg Mound. Behind these walls are tons of dirt, water, and limestone. A small nuclear reactor is the source of our power. The distance below keeps us buried enough to protect us from the sentinels' sensors and satellites. However, I am sure that is not what interests you." He turned on the video screen. "This is the computer room where Alison and Sharon currently are. The computer secretly uses a signal nearly identical to the frequency of the Earth's magnetic field to secretly tap into the Omega Series Sentinel Database. We have to be careful what time of day we do it. We try to do it during the day so that the solar winds interfere with their sensors. That way, they would look at the slight variation and consider it a marginal error. Anyway, we are slowly compiling data on them. We have schematics on the recent Nimrod versions as well as the assassin series they are putting out." Havok was in shock. So… that was how they were able to know when he and Grover were out there… by eavesdropping on the sentinels! "How did you impersonate a nimrod? It's one thing in here, but it is another thing out there without the computer." "The suit is nothing more than a reconstructed exoshell without a coprocessor. When I'm in there, I disguise my life-reading to make it look electronic. They could not distinguish me from others. I had Alison input false orders on their line so I could get away." "So… what do you want?" "First off, I want to know why you were on I-75, traveling through this area. I wouldn't think you'd be traveling such a dangerous route for mutants… especially with the kid…" "If you must know, I was heading for the old Cincinnati airport in northern Kentucky. A friend of mine stashed a jet there. I was going to take my son to France… and raise him someplace where he can count on growing up." Khalid never took his eyes away. "The same France they are planning on nuking Wednesday?" He handed the packet of paper to Breslin. "Sentinel reports printed up this morning." Breslin tossed the packet over his head. There went that idea. "All right… Change of plan… Forgive me for asking, but I couldn't notice that you have Alison and Blackfire touching up the sensors. Mind telling me what that is all about if this place is so safe?" Khalid looked down and slowly brought his flashing yellow eyes back up. Although Havok could no longer read the expression in the eyes, he sensed an incredible sadness coming from him. Breslin recognized that look. The guy had been put through hell and was still in pain. Whatever it was, he didn't know. Hell… He didn't care. He deserved it. "They are touching up the sensors on the nimrod exoshell. I'm going to need it..." Breslin looked at him questioningly, as if he didn't quite get it. "…when I slip a virus into the sentinel mainframe in Washington D.C. Once I do that, this computer here will not be able to help me." Holy shit… "Khalid… you can't be serious! They're going to go after the nimrod who put in the virus." "I know. I will have to slip out of the nimrod suit. I can remain undetectable from their mutant sensors as long as I don’t manipulate photons, however they will still be able to see me visually. I cannot teleport until they are about half a mile away or I risk them tracking me. They are strengthening the sensors so I at least don't go blind the second the mainframe cuts out." Havok was floored. Damn… The plan was sound… THAT was sure. After all, if the sentinel mainframe was down, then they could not send or receive orders. The Tribunal down at Washington D.C. would be neutralized. Excellent… cut the head off and watch the rest run around like chickens. That would give everyone else some breathing room. What bothered him was the person seemingly responsible for the idea. Khalid was never well-known in the BHC or the IHFC for taking extraordinary risks. (Unless it was in the spur of the moment…) Why would he risk his life like that, unless… "Khalid, why are you trying to kill yourself?" Khalid jerked in his seat at the comment. "I don't see it as suicide, Breslin. I see it as… a possible sacrifice." "Bullshit, it's suicide and you know it. You should know that Kamikaze missions are not successful." Khalid brought his hands together and rested them under his chin. "Let's see… Would it be better if I sent Alison? No… she's the best technician we have. How about Blackfire? No… She can't exactly disguise her life reading, can she? No… I am the best choice." Havok leaned in his chair. "For some reason, I doubt that you are doing this to save some French, otherwise you would do it tonight. No… you have another reason, Khalid. It has nothing to do with what is best. It has everything to do with your impatience." Khalid did not budge. "Nice try, Breslin. I would have thought that you'd know by now that I don't piss off that easily. Despite the voice, this is me speaking. That Prince Mufasa guy? He hasn't bothered me for years." Havok looked up at him. For some reason, he wasn't sure how to react to this plan… or the man behind the plan. There was something to it that he was not seeing. "Khalid, fine… Since you are bound and determined to kill yourself anyway, why don't you go ahead and tell me why you are doing this?" Khalid walked toward the door, but turned around. "It's a very simple concept that I am sure you understand. It's called revenge. If you feel like sleeping, there are more than enough beds around here. Choose one. Excuse me." After the room emptied, Blackfire walked in. She saw Havok with his forehead on the table. "I take it that you weren't successful in talking him out of that madness?" Havok spoke out, not moving his head up at all. "Sharon, why are you following him? You know that you would be better off waiting until you can do something from here. This way, he blows any chance you have. He's lost it. Why don't you stop him?" Sharon reached into the drawer, pulling out a remote. "Michael, have you noticed that Khalid has not been anywhere near Grover at all?" Havok lifted his head up. The red mark from the table still showed on his skin. "What about it? I don't exactly consider that a bad thing. What does that have to do with his quest for revenge?" She changed the channel on the video screen. "Believe it or not, it has everything to do with it." She turned away, leaving the room. Was she crying? Havok looked at the videoscreen. Suddenly, he understood. On it was a birthday party. The little boy was celebrating his fifth birthday. His mother, donned in a business suit, came out carrying a cake with the big five on it. Two smaller children, both toddlers, ran around the table screaming at each other and throwing things… having a good time. Then, it cut. The woman was shown reading her three children a bed-time story… Jack and the Beanstalk. However, it was the end that bothered Havok… that shook him to the core. "Khalid, Honey. This is Sharika, filling you in on Eli's birthday party. He enjoyed the guitar you sent him and can hardly wait for you to get back from your tour to teach him. So far, I think he's picked it up nicely. I know you wanted to be here today and I understand. That's why I'm sending this videodisc and a piece of the cake. Vivica and Keenan are settled in their beds. They are getting bigger every day. Hurry up and get home, Baby. Then, we can negotiate that fourth I was talking about…" Havok stopped the disc. The date it was recorded was May 19, 2007… the day before the sentinels took Washington. Shit… Khalid's mailing address after he left the Hellfire Club was just outside Washington D.C…. End Part I Chapter 2: Relativity ###FLASHBACK### "Khalid Hunter. I'm here to see Ryan Jensen." The secretary of the Flying Hotel Co. shifted through her appointment book and looked back up. "I'm sorry, but unless you have an appointment, I can't…" In a split second, Khalid grabbed her and held a photon blade in front of her neck. "Call him up… Now. And tell those security guard sneaking up behind me that unless they want to lose their arms, they'll back up." The secretary looked into his eyes and did not move. Immediately, she heard the sound of the security guards screaming in agony. Then she felt something warm and liquid slide by her foot on the floor. She started shaking… Khalid had not moved an inch… he had done that without moving… She pressed the button. "I'm sorry to interrupt you during your… um… exercise session, but there is a Mr. Khalid Hunter to see you." Within seconds, a blonde came stepping out of the room. Her make-up was smeared… she looked as if she had been… active. Her clothes were somewhat tattered. The wrists were red as if they had just been restrained. Yep… Khalid knew exactly what kind of exercises were going on in that office. Slowly, he backed away from the secretary. She allowed herself to breathe again. Khalid felt the cold shuddering sensation run up his back. In seconds, Ryan Jensen came out. Lately, he had been distancing himself from the goings-on of the newly-reintegrated Hellfire Club. Ever since Silver's death from mysterious circumstances, he has been weary. There was even talk that he wanted to quit altogether… but that something was possibly holding him back… "Khalid." His glance moved toward the floor. He rolled his eyes. "Gino… Don… I would have thought that you guys would have known better. Relax… I'll grow back your arms later on. To show my appreciation, I'll even allow you to pay for the carpet with your salary." Finally he turned back toward Khalid, with a hand, he gestured toward the office. Khalid stepped through, impatiently heading toward the desk. He was somewhat on edge. For some reason, he had always been jumpy when Ryan was around. He didn't know if it was the sensation that hit his back every time or what. It was as if in some way there was something about Ryan that should bother him. Ryan sat down at his desk, with a glass of red wine at the side. "Khalid, I must admit that I am surprised to see you here. I thought that you cut all ties with the Hellfire Club after you got married. So… what can I do for you?" Khalid looked across the table at the man. Damn it, he knows. He's trying not to say anything, but he knows. "The sentinels took Washington D.C. last week. Somewhere, they shuffled off my family to a mutant detention camp. I need for you to locate them." Ryan looked at him with a stone face, nodding his head up and down. "Let me get this straight… You came from Rio De Janeiro, where you were touring, and took a boat to Miami. There, you snuck all the way to Washington to get home to your family, to find out that they were not there. Then, you came all the way over here to Las Vegas to get my help… dodging Thunderbolts and Sentinels all the way?" Khalid pulled a coat out of his bag. "Trust me… I didn't dodge a single Thunderbolt." Ryan looked down at the coat. Damn… Khalid must have changed. He was reluctant to kill before… "I will gladly do so, but only if you do something for me, first." Khalid looked up at him. "I'll do anything for them. What is it?" "I understand that your grandfather has trained you in certain abilities… I need you to kill a demon." Khalid stood up. "That's all? Where is he? Who is he?" Ryan came out from behind his desk. "He has been inhabiting me for ninety years. All I need is for you to free me." Khalid blinked his eyes and could see the demon's aura surrounding Ryan. Shit… "Ryan, that demon is the most powerful I've seen… His power rivals Diablo. I don't know if I am strong enough to…" Ryan gritted his teeth. He was doing all he could to prevent the HellGoat from sensing what he was planning to do. "Nonsense. Now, do it!" Khalid reached out with his life-force, grabbing hold of HellGoat's. The second he did, HellGoat's connection with Ryan was broken. However, images flooded Khalid's mind as he was about to destroy the HellGoat… "No… It can't be…" This ability to manipulate and affect life energies was passed down from generation to generation of his family. In order to be activated, it had to be trained and honed. What went unknown to all but the first of these demon hunters was where the ability came from… HellGoat had originally bestowed it upon the family… so the lesser demons would be destroyed before they could ever rival HellGoat's power. For a minute, time seemed to stop. Everything went black for a minute. Then, he heard it… "Unlike your ancestors, I actually suspected that one day you might become powerful enough to turn my 'gift' against me… possibly even kill me. It is my sad duty to inform you that the day has not arrived, yet. All you have managed to do was break my hold. So… since I lost my favorite host, I have decided to take another one… your son Eli. Don't worry about everyone else, they've already been killed. I left you one last parting gift…" Khalid felt it running through him uncontrollably as time snapped back into place. "The light… damn it… the light…" Ryan Jensen was ecstatic as the HellGoat's essence left him. Finally, he was free. Now it was time for some payback. "Khalid. Thank you. Now, as I promised…" Khalid backed away, falling. No… This had not happened in years. This was the worst one, yet. "No… Get…" Suddenly it clicked… "HellGoat…" The Flying Hotel Co. exploded, incinerating everyone that was inside. Hours later, Khalid stumbled out of the wreckage, chiding himself. His son now belonged body and soul to HellGoat… Ryan, the only person capable of finding him, was destroyed in the explosion. Then, there was the other little matter… Khalid could not turn off his powers anymore… ###END FLASHBACK### Michael Breslin looked at the screen showing the outside. What had once been Miamisburg now lay in ruins. The Great Miami River was now a river of acid and toxic waste. Where the landscape was once lush and green, it was now dead. Dayton, Ohio and the surrounding areas have become a ghost town. Almost no one lives around there any more. It is too dangerous. Once upon a time, the Native Americans had called the valley of the Miami River the "Valley of Death." If only they had any idea just how right they were… "Sharon, he left?" Blackfire stood in the doorway. "Yes, he did. Even Alison tried to talk him out of it. She thinks that she might be able to find a way to introduce the virus into their computer from here with out infecting ours or their being able to trace us. He didn't want to wait…" Havok turned off the screen and turned back. "Where is Grover?" "He's in the computer room helping Alison. Don't worry… She's good with kids." Blackfire pointed behind her. "Michael, if you and Grover want to leave, there is an exit that takes you down past Franklin. It should be far enough to keep you hidden from the sentinel scans. Hell… You could even get away with riding a motorcycle. We got one in the…" "Perhaps later, Sharon. For some reason, I really don't feel like traveling now." "I understand…" Khalid looked down below him. He passed right over it… the house he used to live. He almost set down, but he could not afford to. If he did, he might change his mind… depart from the original plan. No, he couldn't do that. Just the same, he could not resist flying a circle around it. Then, he saw it… The number five was burned into the ground. What the… "Alison… I think that there has been a…" The nimrod suit ripped apart from him and he began to fall… Just before he crashed, he finally managed to erect a photon field around himself and set down. If he had practiced with his powers more… trained, then it was quite possible that he might have been able to fly, but doing that was awfully dangerous these days… He was weak from the effort, but not out. Photon blades formed in his hands. "Whoever you are, you have ten seconds to come out." He was reluctant to use his powers this close to the sentinel center, but right now, they were his only defense. Damn it… if this had happened AFTER he got the virus in the computer, it would have been a different story. "SHOW YOURSELF! I know you are there! I can feel you!" At that minute, an adolescent stepped out. "Gee, 'Daddy.' I was kind of hoping for a warm homecoming." Khalid immediately recognized the boy. The blood rushed from his face. "Eli… you're alive… I was afraid…" Elijah Hunter's laugh was on the diabolical side. "Yes, father… You should be afraid… AFRAID OF ME!" Fragments from the remnant of the nimrod exoshell shot out, piercing Khalid in his right leg, arm, and shoulder. Khalid fell on the ground and looked up at the child… and the powerful demon aura coming from the child. If he pulled HellGoat out of his son, then he would just find another host and probably go after Eli. If he killed Eli, then the HellGoat would drag Eli's immortal son down to hell with him. Khalid was on his knees. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to just die… End Part II Chapter 3: The Shit Hits The Fan Blackfire and Havok ran into the computer room. Alison's fingers danced across the controls frantically. "Guys… At first, Khalid was going through just fine, but then… he just up and disappeared off the sensors and communication altogether." Blackfire kneeled at the monitor. "Is there any indication that the sentinels may have caught on to us early?" Alison shook her head. "No… I have a feeling that someone else has something to do with this. Who knows… The Thunderbolts are too stupid to pick up on something like this. Whatever the case, he never made it to Washington D.C." Blackfire felt the blood leave her face. She had sat by and watched before as friends and loved ones died before. She had left the Hellfire Club around 2005 to keep her newborn twins away from the cut-throat politics. Two years later, when the sentinels took America, Blackfire fled to Australia with husband Jimmy, her brother Iceblade, and the children. The only reason she made it back to America was because she heard a rumor (from someone's mouth) that Khalid Hunter, Peter Katz, and Alison Renault had put in motion a plan to eventually bring down the sentinels. Peter had fallen less than a year ago… She knew that she could not handle Khalid's death too. "Alison… try to track down the exoshell." Alison was almost screaming. "I can't find it! It's been destroyed. That's the only way…" The tears began flowing down her cheeks. "I…" Grover grabbed his father's leg. Havok reached down, picking him up. "Daddy… the big man's not dead. Just hurting…" Havok had remained speechless before, but he listened to what his son was saying. "Say that again, Grover?" Grover nodded again. "He hurts… inside and outside… He's not dead. He wants the shiny-haired lady to go ahead and give the computer a cold." Blackfire stopped her panic long enough to hear what Grover was saying. "Grover…" She picked him out of Havok's arms and set him on the ground. "How do you know this?" A smile came over Grover's face. "The man told me." Alison turned her chair around. "You can't honestly believe what the child is…" Havok glared at her. "Quiet, Mainframe. Grover… what man told you this?" Grover smiled. "The blue man with the yellow hair. He said to check a di… a diode in the back. Then, give the big machine men a cold." Alison's eyes opened wide. "Of course… The diode! I should have known!" She ripped a panel off the computer and pulled out a drawer. "Shit! No wonder! It's been blown! Sharon… get the spare off the shelf." Blackfire handed the diode to Havok, who passed it to Alison. "Looks like we're in business!" Khalid looked at the child in front of him… his own flesh and blood… possessed by the entity who was responsible for the powers of the demon hunters he was descended from. His options were sorely limited. He could not kill Eli. Eli's soul would be dragged down to hell to be tormented forever. Breaking the connection with the HellGoat would be rather pointless… The HellGoat would inhabit someone else and then come back to kill Eli when he least expected it. He needed to think of something else. "Eli, I am begging you… Fight him, please. Don't give in to him." Two more pieces of the nimrod exoshell struck Khalid in the shoulders. "You would like that… but he can't. I would not be stupid enough to train those abilities locked into the genetic code. No… All that your little boy will be doing is using his mutant power to control the various transitional states of metals… to make your death long and painful. You can stop it now. All you have to do is kill him." Khalid slowly got to his feet, pulling the pieces of the nimrod exoshell out of his skin. "No, HellGoat! I won't let you have my son. Release him!" Out of Eli's hands, two columns of fire struck Khalid square in the chest. It didn't burn his skin, but it felt like hell. "I don't think so, 'Dad'! Your son and I have bonded! He is mind, body, and spirit all belong to me! I prefer this vessel even to that traitorous Ryan!" Khalid tried to black out the pain inflicted by the Hellfire. It was all-consuming… maddening… He managed to keep control, but barely. "HellGoat, I am warning you… Release my son or the consequences will be dire!" Eli laughed as he surrounded Khalid in the fire. "No, I don't think so. There is nothing you can do to me! Don't you understand? I MADE you! Just as I made all of your ancestors. What I make, I can undo…" Khalid gritted as the pain wracked his body. He had to focus through the pain… pull in the reserves…"I am warning you…" Eli glared at Khalid, driving more of the exoshell into him. "I never expected this… It appears that you are so well-practiced that you have even managed to manipulate your own aura so I cannot alter it. I did not anticipate this…There is but one solution…" The remaining exoshell flew into Eli's hand, forming a spear. "Too bad… I had such high hopes for you and your kind… C'est la vie." The spear shot out of Eli's hand, plunging directly beneath Khalid's sternum. Khalid held on, but he knew that he had lost. He was dying. However, he was going to be damned if the HellGoat was going to get any further. "Surprise, surprise, HellGoat!" He reached out with his life force, breaking the Eli's connection with the HellGoat. For a brief moment, the HellGoat materialized before him. "You fool! I will only inhabit someone else and return for your son!" Khalid tried to block out the pain and focus on what he was doing… no matter the fact that he was just about dead. "Run, Eli. Daddy has to do something that just wasn't meant for your eyes." Eli backed up, not quite aware of what was happening before him. "Daddy?" The HellGoat started walking back toward Eli. "After I see to this one, I'll be back for… what?" Khalid slumped against the ground, sneering at the HellGoat. "Oooops… I forgot to let go…" "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" The HellGoat's form was sucked right into Khalid as he died. Eli ran to his father, screaming. "DADDDDY!!! NOOOO!!!" Just before he reached him, another hand grabbed him by the shoulder. "No, boy… Don't go screaming, yet." Khalid was falling down the abyss toward hell. Even if he was going to spend the rest of eternity being tormented, he at least knew that once again his son was somewhat safe. "I win HellGoat. Eli's safe!" HellGoat raked his claws across Khalid's back. "If I cannot have your son, then I shall enjoy spending eternity torturing your soul over and over!" Khalid responded by forming two photon blades and plunging him into the HellGoat's eyes."I won't give you the satisfaction of screaming." The laugh cut him to the core. "What does it matter as long as I feel the pain from your soul? Your scream does not matter!" A telekinetic sphere formed around Khalid. "Keep telling yourself that!" HellGoat looked around. "Damn! How DARE they interfere?" He reached up to grab at Khalid, but a red bolt knocked HellGoat away from the orb. As Khalid was pulled into a red porthole, he waved back to the HellGoat. "Give my regards to Beezelbulb!" Khalid gasped as he sat up. He coughed the blood out of his mouth and turned. Immediately, Eli ran up to him and hugged him around the neck. "Eli… I'm so sorry about leaving you…" Eli cried. Despite his biological age of 12 years, mentally he was still 5. After all, he had lost seven years of his life being the pawn of the HellGoat. "Daddy…" Khalid stood up, picking up Eli with him. "Gee… Did anyone tell you that you were getting big? I swear… I don't think you were four feet last time I saw you. Damn… You're in puberty too…" Ryan and Byron stood in front of him. Ryan held out his hand and shook it. "Khalid, thank you for giving me another lease on life. I must admit, however, that I was annoyed by having to reform my body after the explosion, but I had seven years to get over it. You're lucky that Byron sensed the energies being expended here." Byron walked over to him. "HellGoat had it coming. Diablo was only too glad to twist the knife in his back." Khalid hugged her as well. "Thank you. I had thought that my life was not worth it… the two of you have restored my faith… and returned my future." A smirk came across Byron's face. "I think it's time to head to Australia, then…" With a flash of light, the four of them were gone. Michael Stokes handed his sister a glass of lemonade. "So… Was it worth it? You do all the work, and some Summers guy is going to get the credit because he starts the rebellion." Sharon shrugged. "You look over there and tell me whether or not it was worth it." The two of them looked at the kids playing with the soccer ball. She nodded up and down with the smile on her face. "I don't care who gets the publicity for it. As far as I'm concerned it was worth it." James Proudstar came over, hugging his wife. "I'm glad that it worked out for you. The kids are glad to have you back." Sharon kissed him on the cheek. "I'm glad to be back, Jimmy. I hope you understand." "You know, I do." Byron walked over with a plate of cheeseburgers. "So, guys… I've been wondering… Maybe it is time for us to start up something else, right here? I mean… The Hellfire Club is a mess. Maybe it is time for us to start something else… Maybe another organization… We need to make sure that something like the sentinel invasion does not happen under our nose again. Yes, I might admit that living in hell, I could sort of block it out, but I don't want to anymore. I will always consider Earth my home." Alison came up with Grover hanging on her neck. "Well… Maybe it is time to start something different? I mean… The world's gone to pot. It needs a lot of work." Khalid ran off after the soccerball hit him in the eye. "What are you guys talking about over here? I always get nervous when I see you women talking about something…" Byron flicked his nose with her finger. "Maybe we're looking at what to do next!" Khalid shrugged. "Well… Whatever we do, I think it is about time we did it… Because for the first time in years, I have the feeling that the future is WIDE open." He crossed his arms. "I can't believe the Summers guy pawned our rebellion! The nerve… Oh well… I'll just leave that alone…" Havok marinated the meat with barbecue. "That's never been our business anyway… Maybe it is time that we just got ourselves in some kind of order… and see what happens." Blackfire leaned back on the picnic table. "Works for me." THE END. (Yeah… I can't believe it either… A HAPPY end to a DOFP story? What am I thinking!?)