Subject: [OTL]: (alt. Madelyne) Cattle Call (PG-13) Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2001 15:58:58 -0800 From: Phil Hartman will1@earthling.net Cattle Call by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's. No money is being made off of this. Please don't sue. NOTE: Just a look at another take on Inferno ... or rather, its aftermath. That, and sort of a personal challenge; as some folks'll tell you, I'm not a Madelyne fan. At all. Ever >) ------------------------------------------------------- The walls are white, here. They say it's to be calm, to give the mind a chance to rest. They're idiots. I've stared into the face of the abyss, and survived. Silenced - mentally - the Bird flew the coop, sorry, kiddies, gone away, lifted off by my PRECIOUS "stepdaughter," away with Him, and Her, and my boy. One regret, from all this - all the demons and the craziness and the sadism. My darling, sweet little Nathan will probably never get a chance to know me. But he'll be safe. They'll ALL be safe. I gave the Bird up, afterwards. That tore out my Sight. Sharp little knives, telepathy's dark edge cutting ganglia severing perception from soul - Breathe. Horrified, Scott was. Not that I can blame him - I DID go too far, not that he'll ever know, betrayer template-lover responsible little Boy Scout BACKSTABBER - Breathe. But I won back my soul. Woke up - realized that the real foes weren't Scott, or the Cow, or Rachel - Another regret. Crotus never should've had a chance to touch the girl, even if she is the Cow's calf, Rachel actually cared, just like Kitty and Ororo and Piotr and Logan and Rogue and Kurt - and Scott. Hardest lesson learned: He loved me. Somewhat. Not enough. But he did. Enough to care for and save our child from me. Damnit. Hate admitting that. Breathe ... All right. So, after I looked down into twin blue eyes - forgiveness, chubby wrapped in a blanket sweet caring already telepathic, red-haired, innocent forgive me sweetie - I realized what I was doing, to him, at least, was wrong. Power-burst dealt with N'astihr - metal-red, Radio Flyer from Hell, evil made techno-flesh, sent back to the Pit. Gave my boy to Scott, fused Rachel's identity and body back together - guilty pleasure, flash-frying Crotus like that, conniving little worm - told X-folks the truth of my vat-origin. Then cut loose. Sinister ... sweet, delectable slaying, false-flesh torn asunder, drank his soul like a honeyed beer ... And Apocalypse. Couldn't very well repay Faust without savaging the Devil, hmm ? After all, he would've come for Nathan at some point. No one will harm my baby. Not even me. Apocalypse ... disgusting, drinking him. Like a mud-tainted draught of diseased water, scum floating on top, dust, so much dust within ... Then, I gave the Cow the memories, Rachel the power, lost my Sight, and fell to Scott's feet. Thought that would be the end. Guilt-riddle him, end it all, fade away. But this little copy isn't so weak after all. Some part of me clings to life. Straight-jacketed, body and mind, never see my baby again, locked away by little people, headblind cattle. Moo. Chew my cud, three times a day. Ignore the chattering bull who tries to "psychoanalyze" me. Out to pasture, past my prime. Not even my purloined (double entendre ! Double Word Score !) stud will drop by - I heard his precious green-haired heifer is free again. Moo. Prize-winning cow, then. Maybe someday, I'll open the gate and storm back into the barnyard. Moo. ------------------------------------------------------- finis ------------------------------------------------------- _______________