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The XXX-Gene Ch. 53 (Marvel)
🕑 Added 2024-10-20 15:41:23 +0000 UTCA/N: A serious convo is had~
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Thaddeus hesitates for a moment before realizing there’s no point. Lie to Cessily? After everything they’ve been through? It might have been less than a day, but Thaddeus still can’t imagine doing so. Furthermore, he can tell just by looking into the other mutant’s eyes that she wouldn’t accept being cut off for her own safety.
In the end, the path forward is obvious. Emma is right. That said, Thaddeus lets out a sigh and looks Cessily dead in the eyes.
“Emma and I are a part of the Hellfire Club.”
Well, technically he hadn’t even had his debut yet, but still, he didn’t want to over-complicate things. This would be tough enough without confusing Cessily or-
“Who?”
Thaddeus blinks, a little caught off guard by Cessily’s confusion. The female mutant’s brow is furrowed, and as he slides his gaze over to Emma, he can see that she’s mildly surprised by the lack of knowledge as well. Finally though, the blonde chuckles.
“Ah. I suppose Xavier does like to hold his cards close to his chest, doesn’t he? For all that he considers himself an educator and teacher and you all his students, more often than not he acts more like your protector, shielding you from the truths of the world even if it comes at your expense.”
That gets a frown on Cessily’s face, though besides shifting in her chair a little bit, she doesn’t rise to Charles Xavier’s defense. She doesn’t take the bait. Instead, she focuses on what’s important.
“What is the Hellfire Club?”
Thaddeus and Emma share another glance, but in this case Thaddeus feels like Emma is the best one to explain it, so he nods his head in her direction, ceding the floor. Looking back to Cessily, Emma steeples her hands on the desk in front of her.
“On the surface, the Hellfire Club is an exclusive club for those of… high society. It started out life as a British Gentleman’s Club back in the nineteenth century, but these days has gone international.”
Cessily assimilates this information for a moment, before repeating what Emma had originally said.
“On the surface…”
Smirking slightly, Emma inclines her head.
“Indeed. Below the surface, the Hellfire Club has its hands in crime syndicates all over the world and is involved in dozens of illegal enterprises that have made its leading members even wealthier than their public, legal holdings would suggest.”
Cessily’s eyes widen at that, and she glances around the office for a moment, as if truly taking everything in for the first time. Emma gives her a moment before dropping the real bombshell on her.
“Of course, beneath even that, there is another layer. The true reality of the Hellfire Club… is one of mutant domination. The leadership of the Hellfire Club is made up of the Lords Cardinal, each one holding the title of a colored Chess Piece. There is a Black King and Queen who oversee a Black Knight, Bishop, and Rook. And then there is a White King and Queen who oversee a White Knight, Bishop, and Rook. Not all of these positions are currently filled however… and that’s the way our current leader, the Black King, likes it.”
Thaddeus already knows all of this, of course. After he and Emma had fucked in her diamond form back during that weekend where they’d worked hard to increase his telepathic abilities and supe up her psychic powers at the same time, they hadn’t JUST fucked. Emma had dropped a ‘hint’ in the form of letting him know that there were elements of the Hellfire Club out to get him, but that wasn’t good enough.
Eventually, after enough sex, she’d talked. They’d talked. It had been a lot, but Thaddeus needed to know. He needed to know who his enemies were, both in the immediate future and down the line. He needed to know who and what he would be fighting, if it came down to it… no, WHEN it came down to it.
As such, none of this is a surprise to him, even as Emma continues explaining things to Cessily.
“I am the White Queen, but there currently is no White King. The last one was not a mutant and was discovered to be conspiring against the rest of the organization. He was removed by the current Black King, who has seen it more fitting to keep the position vacant since, as it allows all of the power of the Hellfire Club to be consolidated in his hands.”
Cessily huffs and crosses her arms over her chest.
“Politics.”
Her disdainful tone makes it clear what she thinks of such things, but at least she doesn’t sound personally disgusted with him or Emma. Smirk growing, Emma inclines her head again.
“Quite. Though it gets even more convoluted then that. The Black Queen is even more power hungry than the King. She sent me to recruit Thaddeus in the first place because she recognized a potential in him that made her… ravenous. Her intentions are thus: She wishes to prop Thaddeus up as an eventual contender for the vacant throne of White King, positioning him against the Black King for an eventual victory that will see his counterpart toppled. Then, once that’s over… she would consume Thaddeus entirely, taking all of his power for herself.”
“What?!”
Cessily’s horror on his behalf warms his heart. Thaddeus just smiles a wan smile as she looks over at him with wide eyes. Yes, learning of Selene Gallio and her ultimate plans for him had been… well, tough was a word for it. It took a while to properly process the fact that an ancient sorceress mutant with more than ten thousand years under her belt had chosen him for her next big meal.
He was worried about that eventual confrontation of course, don’t get him wrong… but as he and Emma had discussed, they were already making every possible effort to forego the Black Queen’s desired outcome.
Reaching over, Thaddeus grabs Cessily’s hand and gives it a comforting squeeze.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Cessily. Emma and I are on top of things.”
Gripping his hand and not letting him take it back, Cessily scowls.
“How, exactly? How are you preparing yourself for fighting this… this bitch?”
Thaddeus smiles.
“When she sent Emma to recruit me, she did so with specific intentions and expectations. The Black Queen is strong… and at this point, probably more powerful than all three of us combined. However, she’s not all-powerful or all-knowing. She doesn’t know the full extent of my mutant abilities, nor does she know exactly who I’ve been in bed with.”
Looking to Emma, he lets her pick up where he’s left off, something the blonde does easily.
“The Black Queen is unaware that Thaddeus’ power-boosting goes both ways. Otherwise, he would likely be locked up somewhere so that she could… drain him in a more carnal fashion. She also isn’t aware of the true extent of Thaddeus’ growth either. She wanted to keep him weak in some ways while growing his strength down a very narrow corridor. Needless to say, I have not followed her Will to the letter in that regard. Thaddeus is a very versatile young man at this point, and rapidly becoming a powerhouse in a number of different ways.”
All of that seems to give Cessily some solace. Her back straightens and she shoots Thaddeus a smile while squeezing the hand she’s holding.
“Heh, you can say that again.”
But after a moment, the smile drops and she looks back to Emma, frowning once more.
“… Are you sure you shouldn’t just go to Xavier for protection though? The X-Men have connections with other Hero Groups. Hell, Thaddeus himself has an in-road with the Avengers now. He used it tonight. They could handle the Hellfire Club right? You guys don’t have to do all of this alone.”
Emma’s smirk drops as well, and though she holds back the scowl that Thaddeus can tell wants to overtake her face, her features nevertheless gain an icy quality to them.
“That is not an option. Despite the animosity of the Black King and Queen, the Hellfire Club is not a threat to be destroyed. It is an asset to be taken and seized for our own ends.”
Squeezing his hand harder, Cessily has no problem scowling herself as she leans forward.
“Who says? You? You say you’ve sided with Thaddeus on this, but aren’t you using him just as much as the Black Queen wants to? When all is said and done and you’ve taken down the Black King and Queen, who comes out on top? You, right? Is Thaddeus supposed to even survive to that point, in your perfect vision of the future?! If you really cared about him, you wouldn’t be putting him in danger in the first place!”
Emma stiffens at the accusation, while Thaddeus blinks in alarm. He hadn’t expected Cessily to go on the attack like that, but perhaps it’s only because she’s confused about the situation.
“Cessily…”
At the sound of his voice, the female mutant turns to him, an imploring look in her eyes. But Thaddeus just squeezes her hand and shakes his head.
“This is as much my choice as it is Emma’s.”
Yes, she’d manipulated him into joining the Hellfire Club originally, all the way back at the start. But since then, Thaddeus had gone into every decision he’d made since with both eyes wide open. He knew full well what he was getting into and how dangerous it would be. And sure, yeah, ever since sleeping with the two Dominos, he’d actually gained a surprising number of ‘outs’ if he wanted to take them.
… But he didn’t want to.
“Emma and I are partners in this scheme, Cessily. We’re both risking everything. If any of our enemies find out what we’re up to, Emma and I are both dead. But if we can succeed, if we can take them down, then we stand to gain so much more.”
Cessily hesitates, looking torn for a moment. She glances between him and Emma before focusing back on him.
“… You want to be the head of an international criminal organization, Thaddeus? You want to… to control the Hellfire Club with her, no matter what it costs you?”
Thaddeus winces, hearing the unspoken ‘even if it costs you your soul?’. He gets why Cessily is laying it out like that. Trying to shock him out of his lofty goals and wide-eyed daydreams, perhaps. But… these thoughts aren’t any new to him. He’s had plenty of time to think about all of this already. And he’s made his choice all the same.
“Yes, Cessily. I don’t have any intentions of diving off the deep end, and I think Emma and I would both like to clean up the organization once we’re in charge…”
That gets a silent nod from Emma herself before Thaddeus continues on.
“… But at the same time, I don’t want to go and hide under She-Hulk’s skirts or rely on Charles Xavier to protect me. I want to live my own life and forge my own path. I know Emma is using me, but I’m using her too. The two of us have a mutually beneficial relationship built on using one another. I trust her because I know her ambitions, and I know I’m uniquely suited for making her dreams a reality.”
There’s a long pause after that, leaving Thaddeus to wonder if they might have been TOO honest with Cessily. At the end of the day, it wasn’t as though they could wipe this conversation from her mind if she decided to turn on them or anything like that. Her thoughts were too inhuman and too slippery for telepathy to grasp onto.
Perhaps telling Cessily everything hadn’t been the best idea after all-
“Okay.”
Thaddeus blinks, raising an eyebrow.
“… Okay?”
Smirking a little bit, Cessily shrugs.
“I’m in. I said it before. You’re stuck with me, Thaddeus. I’m not going to betray you or your… partner to anyone. Not the X-Men. Not the Avengers. If this is what you want… then it’s what I want too.”
She’d said as much earlier, before him and Emma had spilled the beans, but he hadn’t truly understood just how much she meant it. Less than twenty four hours and he’d somehow gained Cessily’s undying loyalty. It seemed he was pretty good at that, to be quite honest, but this… this had to be a record even for him.
“Well… alright then. Happy to have you on board. From what Emma has told me, we’ll need all the help we can get against the Black King and Queen.”
Cessily perks up at that, looking back to Emma. At least the blonde behind the desk looks a little bewildered as well.
“Great! So what’s next?”
After pausing to collect her thoughts for a moment longer, Emma clears her throat and rallies.
“Ahem. Well, there’s an event coming at the end of the month. A Hellfire Gala where Thaddeus will be making his debut as a member of the Hellfire Club. He won’t be the focus of the event or anything, he’s not that important yet, but he will draw some attention. My hope is that his newfound Luck along with the other skills he’s gathered along the way will see him through, but there’s still plenty of possibility for disaster.”
Taking that in, Cessily nods after a moment.
“I’ll go with him.”
Before Emma can say anything to that, Cessily quickly elaborates.
“He can wear me, perhaps under a normal suit. I can disguise myself as a second skin and give him an additional layer of protection. And if the worst comes to worst, I can become a suit of armor at a moment’s notice.”
Emma slowly nods but Thaddeus frowns.
“That will put you in danger, Cessily…”
“I don’t care. I’m going.”
Her tone brooks no argument, and Thaddeus just sighs in the end, knowing there’s no point in fighting her harder. He shakes his head even as a rueful smile slides onto his face… but the smile drops a moment later when Emma speaks up.
“Of course, if she’s going to be hidden under your suit, you’re still going to need an additional plus one.”
Thaddeus blinks and looks at Emma, confused. The blonde at least has the good grace to be grimacing after dropping a bombshell like that on him.
“I thought I was going as your plus one, Emma.”
Shaking her head, Emma sighs.
“Change of plans, which is part of the reason I wanted to talk to you on top of debriefing you regarding the events of the last forty-eight hours. I’ve been… informed that I will be attending this Gala on the arm of the Black King. He does not care that I had my own date for the evening already, nor was I foolish enough to bring you up to try and dissuade him. It would be better if the two of you kept your interactions… minimal for the time being.”
Oh. That would do it, he supposed.
“This isn’t altogether a bad thing. It means that the Black Queen is definitely NOT attending, and that means she won’t be able to tell from a glance that you are more than she was expecting you to be at this point in time. Still, your attendance is necessary all the same, and I’m afraid you’ll be showing yourself off. Being alone might work… but having a beauty hanging off your arm couldn’t hurt.”
Giving him a smile, Emma nods.
“I’ll leave it up to you whether you wish to go it alone or bring a date. With Ms. Kincaid at your back, you won’t truly be alone… but if you wish to have further back up, then I leave it to your discretion.”
Well damn.
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A/N: I know there's a whole lot of other women that Thaddeus could ask to be his date, but all of the others are a bit too heroic or inexperienced for Thaddeus to trust them to not go off the rails at a Hellfire Party lol.
These are the three that made the most sense to me. Sorry if I didn't think of a reasonable argument for any of the others.
Comments
Raiy
I voted Mystique solely because you don't bring a non-mutant to a mutant supremacist party (much as Shaw likes to paint himself as sophisticated and elegant, he is very much a brute, like Erik). Laura in an upscale environment is a bull in a china shop. Natasha might have the training to be able to blend in but definitely not as good as Mystique; she may even be compromised due to the many pies the Hellfire Club has their hands in. Also, this might be perfect opportunity to set Magneto and Shaw against each other. But alas, everybody went horny route because Scarlett Johansson...
Ronnie R15
Great choices, I had a hard time choosing.
JO LP
I had actually forgotten about that, but can you really blame us? That was mentioned only in passing at the end of chapter 10 and it has not come up ever since.
JO LP
Or she could just impersonate a real existing escort. Why bother forging an identity? Moreover, if they do find out Nat is a SHIELD agent either Selene or Shaw will begin keeping a closer eye to what is going on with Thad. They are not the type to dismiss that as just a coincidence or him being duped as you suggest. They will take measures in case he is trying to infiltrate them. Sure Selene knows more about him so she could just limit herself to just keep a closer watch, but Shaw doesn't have the same info and he might do way more than just that.
The3rd
Mystique could be anybody, but would that identity hold up to scrutiny and make sense for Thad to bring along. Selene might not be there but she'd have questions if Thad came with an escort. She wouldn't be worried about him bringing his dorm RA, and if she does some deeper digging, she'd think he got duped by a CIA agent. Now that's not great, but compared to someone she can find no, or only obviously forged information on, or Laura who is clearly an x-man.
Devon
is everyone forgetting nat's here to spy on the HFC? Ah well, they're voting her anyway, so it doesnt really matter
Devon
everyone should question Emma. Even when she's wholeheartedly on your side, she's running a scheme. She's worse than most supervillains even when she's invested in being a hero.
Devon
Cessily is putting the term "clingy girlfriend" to it's paces.
JO LP
The identity thing is kind of an argument against bringing Nat. You're going to a high status gala from a criminal organization and it's your first time there. It would be far more understandable to bring an escort or go alone than to bring your dorm RA. Mystique also can have any identity she needs so that's the most sensate option.
The3rd
On the one hand you're right that maybe we shouldn't bring the spy, on the other hand Shield is already paying attention to the Hellfire club as an organization that can make both the X-Men and Brotherhood stand down. You don't make those two back down without powers to back you up. I think Natasha has the least suspicious identity of the options as the dorm RA, and it's worth the risk of what she might tell Shield.
Kensai
Your point is valid, but since they are a wielder of power behind the scenes, betting on the Hellfire Club NOT doing a complete dive immediately upon encountering someone new is a suckers bet. Someone else in the comments suggested Rogue, and that might be a very interesting option. She gained her flight/strength etc from near draining Carol Danvers to near death and leaving her powerless. Imagine if she did the same to Sebastian Shaw and then shared that power set with Thad. A few more sessions with Rogue may allow Thad to enhance his power drain ability to do the same with Sebastian Shaw as well.
JO LP
Hey fellows! I know you are all used to thinking only with your dicks when voting but I have to point out that bringing Nat to the Hellfire Gala means bringing SHIELD and if his end goal is to take over the criminal organization then having SHIELD already paying attention to it will not do him any favors. At the moment SHIELD probably only has the Hellfire marked as a criminal organization with global reach but still below the threat level they normally handle so they do not interfere, but if Nat figures that the head honchos are mutants then the organization would rise up to be within SHIELDS purview. Maybe you should consider changing your vote to someone with no ties to a global security agency? IDK, just putting the idea out there for your consideration.. Out of the three options I think only Mystique is a reasonable choice. Laura is too wild and might cause trouble. Mystique is already aware of the true nature of the Hellfire club anyway.
Nanaya7Nights
Just checked: Natalie Rushman is Thaddeus' RA, so she is pretending to be an upperclassman. Unless people specifically dig into her background like Emma did, they are unlikely to know how old she is or that she works for the government. Also, Thaddeus is a rising sports star. No one would find it odd that he managed to seduce an upperclassman.
Nanaya7Nights
Thaddeus would be introduced as having sex based powers, him seducing someone older shouldn't be a surprise.
Nanaya7Nights
IIRC Laura was trained in infiltration as well as a part of the Weapon X program. That said, the higher ups would pay extra attention to Thaddeus if he shows up with Wolverine's daughter. Something he is trying to avoid.
Gamesempie
He should still probably fuck Mystique a few more times just to be safe though.
Gamesempie
Nobody is the worst option so we can mark #4 off immediately. Laura is a little too wild for a high society party and she isn't quite strong enough to ba strength flex. So we can mark her off too. Natasha is probably the best option for intel gathering and politicing as the master spy she is. However, I worry about how close an eye SHIELD is keeping on her and how she might feel obligated to report to them after attending a criminal cartel party. Mystique is almost as experienced and well trained as Natasha at politicing and espionage and I'm a lot less concerned about her reporting to Magneto after the fact. Though she still might get ideas of her own about how she can use the Hell Fire Club to her advantage, that will still work best if he takes control of it first. So, while it's close I think Mystique is the better option over Natasha.
Osiris Sundavr
I chose Nat but it was a close tie between her and Mystique. Usually I would choose the latter as she could shape shift into whatever form she wants for this. So naturally my mind asked “Chaos? Chaos!” and I changed my mind. Thad does need to tie his future baby mama closer to himself so she chooses to stick around for more kids instead of disappearing with their only child.
Luke Skywalker
Ok, so nobody is definitely stupid, we will need backup. Mystique while very experienced is something of a known element due to her past with Magneto, her age and expertise. So nah. Laura is a nice thought experiment...if we wanted a bloody gala. I can only imagine Emma staring at the bloodied Laura, then staring back at Cummings barely restraining herself from snarking "Great plan, Thaddeus." So Natasha it is. Honestly of these four options this is probably the best.
Kensai
I think age may be an issue. Natasha being older would probably be looked at closer because of her age. Mystique as an adversary would probably need to go through a detection device that would out her. Laura would be identified due to her connection with Wolverine and the X-men. So that leaves either option 4, or an unnamed option 5. My suggestion would be the mercenary Domino to throw an element of Chaos into the mix. She had already been “hired” by the Hellfire Club and has a connection with Thad.
Skruffy
Cessily is being annoying. Noone questions mommy Emma.
IEU097
Mystique has been around a long time. Her knowledge and experience would be the most helpful. She'll also probably know who most of the people are at the Gala. Natasha MAY be able to find out who's going, but that feels tough to pull off.
SylverIron
Nat and Mystique are the better choices of those three. ...but Mystique is too well known for the Brotherhood affiliation, now sure she could be anyone but then that's an unknown variable to the hellfire club. Natasha on the other hand is known for her mismatched connections. Her beauty and popularity alone can get Thaddeus noticed, which in turn can get him to show off. Add her knowledge of espionage and we got a proper professional on our hands.
Dan W
Laura & Mystique are both loyal members of rival factions. But we already know that Natashas loyalty to SHIELD is gone. She just wants him to get her pregnant then disappear.
shadowbadger
I ultimately voted no one, because bringing any of them with their ties to other organizations feels very risky. And it frees him up for interactions with the other attendees without the distraction of a companion.
jp9901
Natasha is perfect for the role
Rotaugur
I vvoze for Natasha. Not just because of her training and knowledge to fit into high society, but also to fuck with the government. Let chd allow Nat to inform Fury of where she will be going, and eát the end of the day, they can use him as an attackdog to eliminate a few of the undesieble members. Someone who works in human trafficking for example or who sponsors the black side of the clun heavily. And then point the blame on someone else. It would also bind natasha closer to him . And hey, it could always be used as a begin for him to grow his own faction in the club, if he where to convince the black widdow to join the hellfireclub on his invitation.
GluteGobbler
Laura stuck in a high gala situation, surrounded by enemies, doesn't sound like a great idea.
Narsil
I went for Mystique. Natasha and Laura not only have ties to rival organizations, but those organizations are distinctly "good"--and while those two might be mostly flying under the radar right now, that's likely to change going forward (especially Laura). Certainly Mystique is ALSO part of a rival organization, but it's one that can have a commonality of goals for temporary alliances. Besides, there's nothing that says Mystique has to go as herself, she can be anyone she wants.
redhawktiger
I voted for Laura, but it was very reluctantly. Natasha is a government agent, and while a good choice that fact makes her a liability to take into a criminal organization that Thad is a part of. Kind of the same issue with Mystique, while useful, she's high enough a member of a competing organization to be a liability. Honestly would have preferred Rogue, after an explanation to her. It could be a simple normal date, with no ulterior motived on Thad's part since he has to go but doesn't want to be noticed, however if something does happen, Rogue could handle herself.
Nanaya7Nights
I am voting for Natasha in this case. She can be subtle and has enough heroic inclination to not betray him to the Hellfire club, but enough selfish inclinations that she won't betray him to SHIELD either. Mystique's fundamental concept is that she cannot be trusted. Thaddeus has to do a lot more work on her before she is ready to be trusted with anything. Laura is probably known by members of Hellfire as X-23. And Thaddeus shouldn't reveal that he has subverted any members of the X-Men to his side.
Rapthorn2ndform
Laura seems like a TERRIBLE idea... I'm here forever it. Mystique or nat would be good ideas. Honestly, the last option leaves him open to a ... whats the high society evil version of a meet cute?
Erinnyes
Laura would be fun, but Thad needs someone who understands how to blend in and work social situations to their advantage. Natasha or Mystique are the only right choices there.
Cole Deucalion
I voted for mystique. But Natasha was a close second. I think he needs someone experienced with spy craft.
