Via Sanguinis: Sanguinary Disciplines

by Phil Hartman

What has gone before:

The downfall of Apocalypse has rebounded to Mr. Sinister's benefit. The unexpected deaging of Nathan Dayspring Askani'Son in a freak accident at the planned Ascension of the Twelve in Akkaba left Scott Summers alive, but grieving when Scalphunter carried off the boy.

Meanwhile, Polaris has succumbed once more to Malice, and killed Magneto. The Marauder Queen is still MIA, however.

At the same time, Sinister has sent the Marauders to steal away as many children of superbeings as possible, or superpowered children. Franklin Richards, Valeria Von Doom, May Parker, Thomas and William Shade, Luna Maximoff, Leong and Nga Coy Mahn, Joseph and Gailyn Bailey, Amiko and - in a still as-of-yet unexplained turn of events - a young Rachel Summers have been imprisoned on Sinister's Easter Island base with Nathan.

Now, Sinister has three more components of his plan to acquire.

Unfortunately for him, the childrens' parents and friends are en route ...

***

1/1/2000: Somewhere over the eastern Pacific Ocean:

***

"Logan ..."

Kitty Pryde tried to keep from flinching as her friend's restored adamantium claws kept flashing in and out of his hands.

"He dies, Kit," Wolverine snarled. "Creed DIES for this."

"Yukio isn't dead yet, mein freund," Kurt Wagner tried to reassure the Canadian X-Man. "And with the combined firepower of the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, X-Force, the Scarlet Witch and Crystal -"

"Something incoming at hypersonic speed, across the water," Sam Guthrie called from the comsuite. "It's -well, whaddya know ?"

"I called him, Sam," Crystal said, looking over Cannonball's shoulder. "He deserves to be as much a part of this as anyone."

"I totally agree," Scott Summers nodded, feeling the plane begin its descent towards Easter Island. "Jean, can you contact him ?"

"Already have, Scott," Jean smiled at her husband. "And he's dealing with the opposition ... creatively."

***

"GRHHMPNEEEGH !?"

"ANIMALS ! TRAITORS TO YOUR OWNKINDWHEREISMYDAUGHTERYOUDOGS!?"

Arclight screamed again through a mouthful of sand, her ribs starting to break under the onslaught of blows.

A fist grabbed her by her hair, and a Slavic-accented voice snarled, "TELL ME, WITCH !"

"Piss off, Magnusson - AAUGH !"

Pietro Maximoff nodded, a wicked grin on his face, as lightning struck down Scalphunter.

"Pietro ! Thank Agon you're here !" Crystal called, flying to hug her husband. "Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, Wanda, Cannonball, Storm, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Beast came to help us get the kids back, as did the Fantastic Four."

"Superb," Pietro nodded, shaking Scott's hand quickly. "So, Summers, where do we begin ?"

"I'd say there, o Fleetfoot," Beast said, pointing at where the rest of the Marauders came racing towards the rescue party from an opening in a nearby statue.

"You heard the boss ! Don't let'em downstairs !" Scrambler yelled.

He screamed once, then fainted, under apparent nothingness.

"Take them quickly," Susan Richards said in an icy voice.

"Sinister belongs to Wanda, Jean, Crystal and I."

***

"Well, I certainly HOPE they deal with Sinister once and for all."

"Oh, an' any sort o' tactics'll do, I suppose," Sean Cassidy sighed to his co-headmaster.

Emma Frost rolled her eyes, watching as Artie Maddicks and Leech worked on their powers in the Danger Room, and replied, "Sean, if you really think four of the most powerful female parahumans on the planet are going to let a sadistic monster like Sinister walk away after he kidnapped their children, you've obviously spent little time around mothers."

"Oh, thank ye VERY much - I didnae need me shortcomin's as a parent rubbed in me nose again," Sean growled. "I - NAE !"

Emma was about to yell at Sean, but she forgot her anger as Sabretooth appeared from midair and grabbed Artie and Leech.

"Prepare f'r a surprise, folks," Creed grinned back, vanishing.

"NAE ! Good Lord, nae Leech an' Artie too !" Sean raged.

"Sean ... there was something about that teleportal," Emma said nervously.

"There was a sentience behind it. A familiar sentience ..."

***

"Let us GO !"

Frank Richards' fury was ignored as he watched Artie and Leech be manacled to the device holding the rest of the children Sinister had captured.

"Franklin, you should be honored," Sinister smiled, making the boy shiver. He played with a control panel, and the tower the kids were locked into started to glow.

"Some are Alphas, some are Omegas, some are Gammas... but you are all mutant children. Even dear Amiko," Sinister purred, looking at his captives. "And the best part is, none of you have to be harmed for this to work."

He turned back to his panel, while Frank looked over at Rachel Summers with a fearful expression. "Ray ?" the boy asked. "Where'dja come from ? I mean, I thought ya went int' the timestream t'save Mr. Captain Britain."

"Part o'me did," Rachel nodded. "But this bad lady, Sanct'ty, hurt my astral form, an' I fell back here. Sin'ster grew a new body for me, an' I fell int' it. So here I am."

"Indeed you are, Rachel," Sinister called, starting to chuckle. "And with all of your raw biogenetic energy focused through my trump card, I will finally be able to achieve what no other supervillain on Earth ever has ...!"

The kids looked around, gasping as one at the figure who Sinister added to the tower. The girl shivered, looking at Sinister from below long blonde locks, and cried something in a strange language.

"Ohmygosh !" Rachel blurted.

"ILLYANA !?"

***

Blockbuster screamed.

His skin started to steam before one brick fist sent him careening into a stone monolith, then slumping to the ground.

"WHERE'RE THOSE KIDS, YA SCUMBAGS !" Ben Grimm roared, throttling Riptide as the Human Torch entrapped Harpoon in a flame cage.

"Y'll ... n'ver get there in ... time ..." Riptide wheezed, passing out.

Ben spat, hurling the unconscious Marauder to the ground. "Any luck ?" he asked, looking at Reed.

"There !" Reed shouted, pointing to a new opening in the ground. The parents in the group gasped in horror, seeing their children imprisoned upon the tower rising from the island.

"SINISTER !" the Scarlet Witch shrieked, hurling a hex-sphere at the ground. "COME OUT AND FACE US, MONSTER !"

She barely evaded a wave of nausea, but smiled as Nightcrawler teleported to Vertigo and punched the Marauder out.

"Nice work, Frau Maximoff," the elf-like X-Man applauded as the ground collapsed, revealing a tunnel. "Who's -"

Sue, Jean, Wanda and Crystal broke for the tunnel, almost stampeding Kurt.

"I guess that explains the rescue detail," Kurt said, turning his attention to the approaching Sabretooth.

Scott looked up, then told Reed, "Jean and the other women are going to stop Sinister before he activates his weapon. We're to get the kids off of there before he can."

"Let's go - and hurry ! That device is generating enormous amounts of energy !" Reed called, leading the way.

#Not to mention a rather large scale rift in space/time ...#

***

Nathaniel Essex depressed a button.

And, for the first time in over 100 years, felt actual pain.

"MONSTER ! YOU BUTCHER ! RELEASE OUR CHILDREN AT ONCE !"

The Phoenix Effect tore at Sinister, but he laughed despite the silver blood flowing from the wounds the firebird was inflicting.

"It's ... too late, dear Jean ..." Sinister chuckled, panting. "Kill me ... I've won already ..."

And a giant hum filled the room.

***

"Daddy !"

Reed tried to free Franklin, but covered his eyes as the tower emitted a gigantic energy pulse into seemingly thin air.

"FRANKLIN !? VALERIA ?!" Reed shouted, tearing at the metal manacles with blade-shaped hands. Franklin leapt into his father's arms, sniffling, as Valeria hugged the rapidly-approaching Sue.

"I was so scared ... it felt kinda weird, but we're not hurt," Frank said, clinging to Reed.

"Are they all right ?" Jean asked Hank, gasping for joy when Nate came running up with a red-haired girl. "Rachel ... !?"

"MOMMY !" Rachel cried, hugging Jean. Nate hugged Phoenix as well, smiling even wider when Scott raced to hug him.

"Slym ! Ya came f'r me !" the boy laughed, holding onto his father.

"Nate ... oh, Nate ..." Scott mumbled. He looked down as someone tugged at his sleeve, and did a double-take.

"That's 'nother me, but he don't have no diseases," Nate said, putting an arm around his unscarred duplicate.

"Hi. 'M Nate Grey," the second boy smiled.

"Nate ... ! My sons !" Scott exclaimed, hugging them and Rachel when she ran over with Jean. "And Joey and Gail !"

"Aunt Jean !" the Baileys laughed, hugging their aunt and cousins.

"Luna ... !" Crystal sobbed, hugging her daughter to her. She and Pietro looked over, smiling incredulously, as Wanda gave a shriek of joy.

"Tommy ... !? Billy !" Wanda laughed, hugging her sons to her. "But how !?"

"Kang took us, Momma," Toby - Tommy - sniffled, hugging Wanda. "But Luna tol'us 'bout'cha, an' we wanna go home withya. P'ease ?"

"YES !" Wanda laughed, breaking into a giggle.

"ILLYANA !?"

Kurt, Ororo and Logan looked up, grinning, as Kitty hugged the laughing blonde girl to her. "It's a miracle !" Kitty cheered. "But how !?"

"She's ... from another timeline, Kitty," Jean called. "Wait - what about the tower Sinister activated ?"

"The children are all fine, but that energy pulse -GOOD LORD !?" Hank blurted, listening to his wristcom. "Someone activate the Blackbird's remote holocam, now !"

Cannonball moved to comply, his face going pale as the plane's nose displayed a holographic image of Trish Tilby.

"-we repeat, we still do not know where the energy blast came from, but Ryker's Island Superhuman Prison Wing has been incinerated by a focused energy beam," Tilby said, visibly shaken.

"Oh my stars and garters," Beast whispered. "All those supervillains ... and with Magnus dead ..."

"And Kang," Logan said grimly, holding Amiko close. "I checked Sinister's records - Vertigo killed that timewalkin' creep."

"Kang !? Dead !?" Wanda gasped. "But ... Apocalypse, Kang, all those other villains ... and Father ..."

"Sinister targeted villains ... to clear the playing field," Scott said, groaning. "He used us to allow himself a clear shot at archvillainy !"

***

"Hmm ... yes, very promising ..."

The Red Skull nodded absently, playing with the firing control at the captain's chair of his stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.

"All those annoying heroes in one place," the Skull said. "Gunners, take aim -"

He cursed when the air flickered, and a black and silver and pale shape appeared for a split-second.

"Checkmate," Sinister smiled, tossing something to the deck before vanishing.

"Oh, nein," the Skull breathed, seeing the triune radiation symbol on the canister.

The Helicarrier made a blinding flash of light over the south Pacific.

***

EPILOGUE 1: 1/2/2000: Washington, D.C.:

***

"Venom !? Carnage !? Dr. Octopus !? The Rhino !? THEY'RE ALL DEAD !?"

"The death toll is in the hundreds," Val Cooper moaned into her hands, watching Henry Peter Gyrich and Sen. Robert Kelly pace the floor of the conference room of the Commission on Superhuman Affairs.

"OK ... OK, it's just the villains, right ? We can use this against the vigilantes," Gyrich suggested.

"You heartless animal," Kelly snarled. "They were monsters, but they were still subject to due process ! They were prisoners in a secure federal facility, AND THEY WERE MASSACRED ! Do you have ANY idea what this will mean to the public ?"

"The government failed," Val muttered. "There's already mobs of protestors screaming outside the White House. And the report the Avengers gave me indicates the cause of the attack was ... innocent mutant children. We can't prosecute them."

"Then what about this 'Sinister' ? Can't we do something about him ?" Kelly asked.

Val smiled.

"I know just the people. But you've got to trust me on this one, Robert," Cooper began. "It's time to call them in from the cold. They were short-changed, and they can prove it."

"You're kidding me, right ?" Gyrich coughed.

"We failed with Freedom Force. And X-Factor was too... silly," Val continued, dialing her phone. "You want mutants to prove they're not a threat ?

"Deputize the right ones from the start."

"She's serious !?" Gyrich asked Kelly.

"She is ..." Kelly nodded, smiling.

"We'll make the X-Men federal agents."

***

EPILOGUE 2:

***

Dieter raced into the lab, flashing his security badge to the guardbots.

He dropped to one knee, smiling joyously as his sovereign appeared at last.

"Your Majesty," the butler said, handing the returning ruler a thick book. "We have awaited your return. The status report you asked for upon escaping... ?"

"Superb, Dieter," the man nodded. "You are excused."

He read over the report, crushing it in one gauntleted fist.

"Bah ! This paltry geneticist dares to think his little scheme makes him MY equal !?" the doctor bellowed. "Very well, 'Sinister.' You have thrown down the gauntlet.

"AND DOOM ACCEPTS ..."

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