DEADLY BARGAINS

By Brent Lambert

Ruby Claw had only been with X-Factor a few minutes and Red Lotus was already trying to hit on her. “So Ruby Claw what’s your real name? I’m sure it something pretty to compliment your looks.”

“Ruby Claw is the only name I know. I’ve been with the Red Diamond Syndicate I was three years old,” the unusually tall Asian woman replied. If she hadn’t been a Red Diamond there would have been a great career for her in modeling.

Red Lotus was Triad and knew just how difficult breaking away from some of these Oriental organizations could be. It usually took a compelling reason to break away, “So why break away from them now after so many years?”

Ruby Claw honestly just wanted to continue the march to Hokuten’s base in silence, but she desired to gain X-Factor’s trust. “I was a part of them, but that doesn’t mean I liked it.”

Vargas nodded. “Understood. I’ve heard how brutal the training methods of the Red Diamond Syndicate are. They forge killers quite easily.”

“Indeed they do, but I’ve never let them break me,” Ruby Claw replied. She had seen many of her friends from the early days fall into the abyss of killing and mayhem. They had let go all their humanity in an attempt to drown away their true inner pain. She had always been one to resist that incredible temptation.

“Are you a mutant? I think most of us just assumed you were,” Shard said trying to change the direction of the conversation. Listening to the brutality of the Red Diamonds was conjuring up memories of her world. Her future had been a terrible one and as a child she had seen more death than she wanted.

“I am indeed a mutant. That alone is probably the reason I’m alive today. Asia is far more dangerous than most Westerners can ever imagine. Innocence is a rarity.”

Red Lotus understood Claw’s stance. “Trust me, I know. The Triads showed me that world.”

“I heard tales of you. You were said to rival the likes of Elektra, Kirigi, and Bullseye. If the Triads unleashed you that person was already dead and in their grave,” Ruby Claw said recounting the tale one of the older Red Diamond members had told her. Red Lotus had been someone to be feared. Now she looked upon and didn’t quite yet see where that tremendous fear had come from.

Lotus held his head low. “I’m not the person I was back then. I’ve changed.”

“To a jackass. Not much of a change if you ask me,” Shard joked not realizing that Lotus was being serious for once. Normally, she would have read the body language, but something about Claw made her uneasy. Something about the woman struck a chord with her on a personal level. Whatever it was she just couldn’t put her finger on it yet.

Ms. Witch finally chimed in on the conversation. Unlike the others Polaris and herself were floating along the ground. Elena did not feel like having to deal with bunions and crow’s feet in her later years. Maintaining the floatation took a fraction of concentration, but being annoyed by Shard was enough to throw that minor act of concentration off causing her to fall to the ground. “Oh I just smell the love in the air guys! Keep it up!”

“Ignore them Ruby. Tell me. What are your abilities?” Forge asked wanting to know just what kind of asset she would be to them in this fight. He knew the rest of his teammates fighting capabilities like nobody’s business. In fact he had been compiling tons of data on different fighting techniques for X-Factor to use before Fatale got left behind.

“They’re fluid. My powers fluctuate every twelve hours. I never keep the same ability or abilities for any longer than that,” Ruby Claw replied.

“Have you noticied any kind of rotation in these powers?” Forge inquired.

Claw shook her head. “None at all. The process is completely random.”

Forge cursed under his breath. Ruby Claw was a wild card in the worst way. He had no way of evaluating how she might be useful to the team until the last moment unless… “How far away are you from rotating powers again?”

“Three hours and fifty-five minutes. My mind has an internal clock of sorts that helps me keep track.”

“So what are you capabilities at the moment?” Forge asked.

“As you saw I have some control over the Earth’s crust. I think I can also manipulate plant life at the moment. That’s all my powers right now,” Ruby Claw reported.

“So how many mutants are in the Red Diamond Syndicate?” Polaris asked not wanting Forge to interrogate the woman any further. He had a tendency to be so over analytical that he annoyed others around him.

“Not a very large number though it seems to have increased dramatically due to Hokuten calling on Yvon Rendom,” Ruby replied.

“Then we should expect heavy resistance. With Dark Beast thrown into the mix I suspect things will get ugly,” Polaris stated.

“Not scared to fight the woman you abandoned are we?” Shard asked giving Polaris a piercing stare. She still wasn’t going to forget how Fatale had been thrown out like yesterday’s garbage all because of Lorna’s selfish emotions. She blamed the woman for making Havok leaved and so left her with two of the most sadistic men on the planet. Her crime of pettiness was one that would take the former X.S.E. quite some time to forgive.

“Don’t do this. Not now, we don’t have the time,” Lorna groaned.

“Why do I get the feeling that I’ve stepped into something very old?”

“Because you have Ruby, but its best not to ask questions right now,” Ms. Witch warned.

“One of them situations huh?”

“Yep,” Elena weakly smiled at her newest companion.

Hokuten was a man of careful planning. He had slowly worked his way up the Red Diamond Syndicate and now with his latest moves he would be able to finally increase the reach of the syndicate by taking down other groups and assimilating them. All the while he would be increasing his status within the organization until he would be able to take down The Big Four. Then he’d achieve leadership and the power he desired.

“Don’t think too hard. Your brain cells come in a limited supply,” a bestial voice joked as it hanged from the roof above Hokuten.

“Dark Beast you should watch to whom and where you speak,” Hokuten replied sharply. He had made an alliance with the duo of Dark Beast and Sugar Man, but only for the purpose of increasing his foot soldier potential. The work of Sugar Man was well known in Genosha and it had proven to be deadly. He hoped the same results could be reached here.

“I jest, Hokuten. Loosen up a bit,” Dark Beast laughed as he flipped off the roof and landed in front of the tall Asian man in a primate position. His grin was enormous and a lack of tooth brushing stained them yellow.

Ignoring the geneticist’s suggestion Hokuten grabbed Dark Beast by the hair and lifted him up into the air, “Do you have my troops ready for me? X-Factor is beginning to be a nuisance!”

Sugar Man stumbled into the room with his lopsided walk and with his naturally hissing voice answered, “Indeed we do. Meet the Angels of Hokuten!”

Five women stepped into the light and each indeed had the wings of angels. At the front of the group was a strangely attractive masculine looking female. Gray bandages were wrapped around her wrist and in one hand she carried what looked like the tip of a giant spear. Two blonde curls hung next to her golden eyes.

“I am Gabriel. My fellow warriors are Tanya, Lauren, Denise, and Charlene. We are at your disposal.”

Lauren and Denise were twins. Both of them had curly long auburn hair and green eyes that sent normal men into ecstasy. Their olive skin shined ever so slightly and seductive smiles made them fit for a Milan runway. Charlene had short black hair and caramel colored skin. In each of her tiny hands she carried small red knives that went along with the knife tattoos on each of her shoulders. Tanya was the only one of the group on with stilettos that would kill even the most shoe-experienced of women’s feet. Yet, the taller woman handled the attire with ease.

Hokuten grinned. “Then capture X-Factor and bring them to me!”

“Your will is our duty!” the Angels of Hokuten shouted as they spread their wings and flew through the open skylight of the building.

“I like them. How long did it take for you two to construct them?” Hokuten asked finding the beauty of the five women to his liking.

“Oh… about a day or two. Their genetic matrixes were not hard to manipulate at all. They’ll just be the first of your mutant squadrons though,” Sugar Man promised.

“And in return we want a piece of this cake you’re about to eat,” Dark Beast added.

Hokuten could barely stand the two geneticists, but they were going to be providing him with cheap troops and he wouldn’t have to shell out cash to Rendom anymore. After he got done using the two how he felt was necessary he would make them become experiments. Give them a taste of the torture and pain they inflict on others. Seeing their agonized faces would be a delight to him, but business before pleasure.

“You two will get healthy slices. I assure you. Once X-Factor is captured consider them your first piece,” Hokuten said before he felt a cell phone vibration in his pants pocket.

Picking up the phone the crime lord answered it angrily, “Who is this? I told you this number was only for emergencies!”

“Brother your terror streak ends soon. I will not let you bring harm to Elena!”

With that bold statement the conversation ended and Hokuten was left to wonder just what Genemaker’s next move was going to be. Turning back to Dark Beast and Sugar Man he snarled, “Kick up your production! We might be having company very soon.”

“I just have to wonder why are Sugar Man and Dark Beast teamed up with Hokuten. It seems like an unusual pairing to me,” Ms. Witch said as the team continued their trek to Hokuten’s main base of operations.

“Hokuten finds ways to make the most unusual of circumstances benefit him,” Ruby Claw replied.

“Everyone stand still! No one move,” Vargas warned, but it was already too late. Normally he would have seen the trap long before that moment, but something or someone had been clouding his mind.

“What the hell?!” Polaris exclaimed as she was wrapped suddenly in a white cocoon along with Forge, Shard, and Elena.

“Good work Tanya!” Gabriel exclaimed as she flew from the sky and slammed her body into Vargas and jabbed him in the back with her spear tip weapon.

“That was way too easy boss,” Tanya smiled as she came down from the sky ready to extend some more of her paper thin webbing. Upon contact the webbing quickly expanded around an object creating a white cocoon that was nearly unbreakable except by Tanya’s command.

So the Puerto Rican woman was quite surprised when she saw Ms. Witch burst from her cocoon with purple energy swirling around her body. Before she knew she was right in Elena’s face due to a teleportation spell.

“You picked the wrong day to mess with me, ho!” Ms. Witch exclaimed as she made the woman see flashes of a thousand different hell dimensions and left her on the ground a tear ridden mess.

You can finish them off! You know the power is within you to do it, Elena!

For once Boon didn’t care about the voice in her head. She agreed with it. These flying hellcats were going to be put down. Raising a hand into the sky she began to chant a spell, “May the Gorgons hear my cry! Lend your aid from afar! Send these heathens to their doom!”

Black light shined down on each of the Angels of Hokuten and they were quickly covered by a multitude of snakes with each snake bite a bit of their bodies became stone. This continued until the five women were stone statues being harassed by angry snakes.

“Good work Elena,” Vargas praised with one hand covering the wound in his back.

“Real good work,” Stan of the Mengo Brothers agreed as he shot Vargas in the chest and sent him to the ground unconscious.

“Too bad we can’t stick around to see more of it,” Greg added as he held out what looked like a harpoon. Tiny green ropes extended outward touching all of the Angels and the downed X-Factor members. All this happened in a matter of seconds and only a moment after that they all disappeared to more than likely what was already their intended destination.

“Anybody up for a rescue mission?” Red Lotus asked still dumbfounded at how quick his teammates had been captured and their enemy saved.

“The three of us against Hokuten and his forces? Why not?” Ruby Claw asked actually feeling excited at the prospect of impossible odds. Fighting always made her hungry and horny. More of the latter in this instance, but she doubted Red Lotus was any good in bed despite his killing abilities.

“Oh you better believe I’m ready,” Ms. Witch replied energy trickling off her fingertips.

That’s right Elena. Just let it go! Unleash your true power!

Fireheart Enterprises

Carlton Beatrice sat down in the plush chair and had a hard time looking Thomas Fireheart in the eye. The man had a fierce look about him, but he much rather face this man the wrath of Durklan Inc. Ever since his company had entered into an alliance of sorts with the business his stocks have gone up, but his life has become less valuable. Durklan had a way of making those who didn’t obey them disappear.

“What can I do for you Mister Beatrice?” Thomas asked as he hung up the telephone ending an important call.

“Stop being a snoop against Durklan,” Carlton stated plainly.

“What did you say?” Thomas asked caught off guard by the bluntness.

“Durklan Inc knows what you’ve been up to. I suggest you stop now or prepare to face some heavy consequences,” Carlton replied unwavering.

“Consequences I think I can detail for you,” Mr. Slade commented as he made his unexpected visit the source of two angry stares.