DISCLAIMER
Unless indicated on the previous page, none of these characters were
invented by me(big suprise), and I'm not making dime one off this
little saga, it's only done for the enjoyment of myself and others.
Please don't sue.  All character places and names are copyright to
Marvel Comics, but this story is copyrighted 1999 LuNaTiC Publishing.

NOTES
This story is based on Luba Kmetyk's DARK REFLECTIONS, which is really
quite excellent.  The sequence of events is somewhat different,
however.  In this version, as in Luba's, Pete and Kitty haven't yet
gotten together, and Pete is really Black Air.  Here, however, he's
arranged the capture of Excalibur just after Douglock's kidnapping;
however, the demon hasn't been awakened yet, and Pete had some extra
help from another member of Excalibur.

Chaos
Part 3--Endgame

                 * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Black Air/Hellfire Club group of executives was in the conference
room on the top floor of the Blackwall, Black Air's downtown London
headquarters.  Sitting at the head of the table was the dignified,
fortyish Threadgold.  Proceeding from his left was co-commander
Scicluna, her protege Pete Wisdom, new Black Air agent Piotr Rasputin,
a.k.a. Colossus, resident telepath Shrine, and Pete's old adversary,
the volt-casting Scratch.  To Threadgold's right sat Selene Steed, the
X-ternal Black Queen of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle, the Black
King, the Red King, and Margali Szardos, the powerful magician Red
Queen.  Not in attendance was the Hellfire Club's Scribe, who was
actually futuristic mutant MountJoy in disguise.  At the moment, the
table was involved in a rather lively debate about when to begin the
calling of the demon, and how to divvy up Excalibur afterwards.

Scratch was kicked back reclining in his chair.  "I want any of 'em.
Don't care which, but either of the virgins'd be fine."

Shrine nodded.  "Yes, not that Sefton and Meggan wouldn't have
some....interesting properties once broken, I would have to request
that as well."

Scicluna looked at Threadgold, who shook his head.  "You'll have to
flip a coin or some other such nonsense.  Wisdom will be the one to
work on ShadowCat.  Wolfsbane, I have no problem with.  Do what either
of you will to her.  The other two....they're both far too dangerous
to let live.  As soon as the calling is done, Sefton and Meggan, as
well as Wagner and Braddock will be killed."

"No," Margali interrupted.  "I need Braddock alive, for a little
while, at least.  His father was born of a parallel dimension.  The
mixture of that world's magic, inherent in Braddock's blood, and
this world's, will make for some very....powerful spells.  It could
also be useful in case we need to restrain the demon further at some
point."

Threadgold nodded.  "Very well.  But you have no objection to the
deaths of your daughter and son?"

The power-drunk Red Queen only smiled.  "I have no objection."

Threadgold was a bit surprised by that, but he quickly disregarded the
witch.  Turning to Wisdom, he frowned as the thin man lit yet another
cigarette.  "Wisdom, can you give me a definite timeframe as to your
estimated prognosis with Miss Pryde?"

Wisdom blew out a stream of smoke in Scratch's general direction,
causing the other man to scowl menacingly.  Giving it a moment's
thought, Pete replied, "I'm willin' t' say no longer than four weeks.
Five, at the most."

"Five weeks?!"  Scratch exploded.  "I could have it done in five
days!"

"I think not, Scratch."  Scicluna came to her former student's
defense.  "Your....techniques leave a good deal to be desired.  This
girl is more strong-willed than you realize.  If Pete says it will
take four to five weeks, I'm inclined to believe him."

"'Sides," Pete said, "You don't got the background on her t' make it
work, Scratch.  She might've been an X-Man, but there's a whole side
o' the world she's never even dreamed of, much less believed would
exist."

"And that is the side you intend to accquaint her with?"  The man in
charge, Threadgold, asked.

Pete nodded.  "Yeah, yer right, bossman.  But I'm tellin' yer, yer
gonna have t' let me go at me own pace, t' let me take me time.
I can't be rushin' it, or else she'll snap an' we'll end up
sanctionin' her."

Scratch sneered.  "Your own pace is probably about three minutes."

Two seconds later, Pete had yanked Scratch back into a very awkward
position in his chair, while simultaneously generating a spread of
hotknives with his other hand and holding them a scant few inches from
Scratch's face.  Pete looked down into the other man's furious eyes.
"I don't like you.  I really don't."

"Aw, yer breakin' me 'eart," Scratch replied, and Pete could feel the
hair on his neck stand up as the pinned mutant began to generate his
electric charge.

"Scratch! Wisdom! Power down and CALM down right now, the both of you,
or else you'll forfeit any claim to any of the Excalibur females."
Threadgold smiled to himself as that threat had its intended effect.
Wisdom sat back down in his chair, while Scratch adjusted himself in
his seat and straightened out the lapels of his jacket.

Scicluna looked to the Red Queen.  "Margali, how long before you can
begin the calling of the demon?  Hopefully SOON."

Margali thought about it for a minute before answering.  "Well, all of
the preliminary spells and symbols have been read and drawn,
respectively.  There is the matter of another book of mystic lore that
will firm up my control over the flow of energy.  Unfortunately, it's
in some sort of old German."

Shrine looked confused.  "You're German, though."

Margali rolled her eyes.  "Gypsy-German, actually.  Look, telepath,
that's not the point.  This particular work is written in a Teutonic
dialect that I'm not familiar with.  As a language, it's not been
spoken for over eight centuries.  I'll need time to gather the
resources necessary to understand it, and then I'll have to go through
and translate it one sentence at a time.  It's far too important to do
so haphazardly."

"A Teutonic dialect?  Is that what you said?"  The silent--until
now--Black Queen turned in her chair to look at Szardos.  "Let me
see this book.  Perhaps I can aid in the translation."

"You?"  Scratch said.  He didn't trust anyone, including the members
of the Inner Circle, and he didn't really like them, either.

Selene sent the bad-tempered mutant a quelling gaze.  "Yes, me.  I'm
immortal, you idiot, five thousand years old.  I've forgotten more
languages than anyone in this room will ever know."

"Yes, that might work."  Margali nodded her approval to the Black
Queen.  She didn't want Steed's help, but if it would help her
to gain power quicker, she wouldn't refuse.  She handed Selene the
book.

Scicluna nodded.  "Good.  Well, is that everything?"  At the nods from
the others, she stood, and smiled.  "Then let's--"

Selene interrupted.  "I can read this."

Scicluna arched an eyebrow.  "Oh, really?  Well, how long will it take
you to translate it into English?"

"Latin," Margali said.

"Latin, fine, whatever.  How long, Selene?"

The Black Queen continued to flip through the old pages gently.
"Three days.  Maybe two, if Margali and I work together."

"Wonderful," Scicluna said.  "Get started today.  Everyone else, this
meeting is over."  As the members of Black Air and the Inner Circle
began to leave the room, Scicluna called out, "Scratch, Wisdom,
PLEASE, try to stay out of each other's way."   Her only reply was a
"Sure, whatever," from Wisdom, and a noncommittal grunt from Scratch.
Sighing, Scicluna sat down and watched the others walk out.

                 * * * * * * * * * * * *

Later that day, at the Xavier Institue For Higher Learning, Wolverine,
Logan, picked up his ringing cellular phone.  He stared at it for a
moment.  The number of people who had this little phone's number was
no more than ten, maybe less depending on how lucky they were on any
given day.  Opening it and hitting the 'talk' button, he said gruffly,
"Yeah."  As the other party began talking, Logan's face became stonier
and angrier with each passing sentence.  This person was his contact
inside Black Air, a stand-up sort who was currently filling Wolverine
in on the situation with Wisdom, Rasputin, the Inner Circle, and
Excalibur.  And Logan didn't like what he was hearing at ALL.  As the
other end of the line was hung up, Logan hit the 'end' button and sat
there for a minute.   He really didn't have a choice.  Once he'd heard
the news, his next actions were predetermined.  Getting out a small
safebox made of adamantium that he kept hidden in his closet, Logan
pulled out a notebook filled with phone numbers.  Writing down the
only two he'd need, he started dialing.

                 * * * * * * * * * * * *

Less than two hours later, a grey-haired, forty-something man and his
black-haired female companion listened to the message that had been
left on their secured computer message system.

At the same time, a agile young man with long brown hair found the
note hidden in the drawer where he kept his cigarettes.

At the same time, a beautiful Asian woman saw the light of her
personal phone line answering machine blinking and hit the 'play'
button.

At the same time, two blonde-haired, blue-eyed men, one in his
mid-to-late twenties, the other in his mid-to-late thirties, were
flying into London, to rendezvous with Logan and the other four.  One
was flying in from Colorado.  The other was, according to his ticket,
at least, en route from Miami.  Logan himself had already hopped a
plane and rented a room near the Blackwall.

It was starting.

Chaos squared.

                 * * * * * * * * * * * *