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The XXX-Gene Ch. 57 (Marvel)
🕑 Added 2024-11-17 15:55:58 +0000 UTCA/N: Thaddeus tries to talk down the Black King.
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There really aren’t any good options here, are there? The temptation to attack Shaw right here and right now is present, but Thaddeus knows he can’t give into it. And not because of Shaw himself.
Funnily enough, Thaddeus thinks he could probably take Shaw, if it came down to it. Unlike Pierce, he knows what Shaw’s mutation is. He knows how powerful the Black King of the Hellfire Club really is… and he knows he can trump him with Rogue’s draining ability. All he has to do is grab onto the bastard and never let go and Shaw is toast.
But what then? What happens after Thaddeus defeats the Black King in battle? Well for one, Shaw would never accept defeat gracefully, so he’d have to kill him. For two, it would alert Selene to the true nature of Thaddeus’ abilities. Shaw was a threat, and a massive one at that, but he wasn’t the true enemy. It was the Black Queen who planned to fatten Thaddeus up like a pig for the slaughter.
Right now, Selene believed Thaddeus to be nothing more than a big, dumb brute with too much strength and not much else. She had no clue he was far more than she had planned for and that was thanks to Emma’s machinations. But if Thaddeus killed Shaw right here and now, then they would be alerting the Black Queen, an ancient sorceress tens of thousands of years old, to the truth.
Shaw himself isn’t the true problem. But he’s nevertheless made himself an obstacle in this moment and as Thaddeus considers how best to navigate this situation, he wonders briefly if he’s really going to have to bite the bullet, swallow his pride, and hand Natasha over without a fight.
Natasha, of course, continues to play her role to the hilt, even going so far as to press herself into his side and shiver fearfully. That’s when it hits Thaddeus like a lightning bolt, an idea for how to extract himself and Natasha from this situation without being so disrespectful that Shaw is forced (or rather allowed) to respond violently.
He’ll have to be careful in threading this needle, but maybe, just maybe, they can get out of this with everything still intact after all.
"Apologies sir, but I don’t think that will be possible.”
Shaw’s brow climbs and Thaddeus can see the violent brute lurking behind the thinning gentleman’s veneer that the Black King is currently putting up. His patience has its limits, but Thaddeus knew that already. They’d already been tested tonight after all, by one very foolish Donald Pierce.
“Oh?”
Inclining his head apologetically and as respectfully as possible, Thaddeus gestures to the destruction and death all around them.
“Natalie… she’s just a College RA. All of this… it’s way more than she bargained for. I’ll accept full responsibility for inviting her, but I think it’s best that I get her back to the University and tucked into bed before the shock fully sets in.”
Natasha, for her part, whimpers as she clings to Thaddeus all the harder, doing her absolute best to sell the bit. The show isn’t for Shaw, of course. Well, it’s partially for Shaw, partially for the audience they surely have by this point. After all, Shaw was a monster… but he was a monster who took perverse delight in pretending not to be a monster.
As far as Shaw knows, Thaddeus isn’t aware of who ‘Natalie’ really is. So his excuse of needing to get her out of this place after she witnessed people die and was herself shot at should be ironclad. Of course, Shaw himself does know who Natasha is… but the rest of the attendees do not either.
So unless Shaw is willing to expose Natasha’s status as a Black Widow in front of everyone, then he has no choice but to let Thaddeus and Natasha go for now, right? Oh sure, they’ll still be on Shaw’s radar after this. There’s no way the Black King isn’t going to be gunning for them, mostly to make Natasha into his personal pet assassin with Thaddeus just being collateral damage on the side.
But surely, for the night at least, Shaw can’t do anything too overt to stop them from leaving…
“Oh, that won’t be a problem seeing as she won’t remember the gorier events of tonight. In fact, I’m going to have to insist on you keeping her here for the time being until Tessa can make her way over.”
Thaddeus’ eyes widen as he realizes how outmaneuvered they truly are. Fortunately, Shaw doesn’t see this because he’s already looking away, his gaze sweeping across the ballroom for the woman he’s just name dropped. Thaddeus was of course aware of who Tessa was. Shaw’s assistant and secretary, his right hand woman.
Tessa was the reason that Thaddeus and Emma couldn’t just enter Shaw’s mind and make him think whatever they wanted him to think, both about the newest White Pawn and his date for the evening. Tessa was Shaw’s defense against other telepaths, being a psychic herself. She was insurance against any such heavy handed mental attacks, seeing as Shaw’s own mutation didn’t protect him from psionics.
… And currently, she was walking around to the party’s shellshocked guests, specifically those who were clearly not an actual part of the Hellfire Club, and she was very obviously altering their minds and fixing their memories.
Admittedly, Thaddeus had gotten a bit tunnel visioned there for a moment. Shaw was a massive threat. Even if he likely couldn’t kill Thaddeus, there was no telling how much damage Shaw could do to the others. Cessily, Natasha, and Emma were all at risk right now. So yes, Thaddeus hadn’t paid much attention to anything but the predator right in front of his face.
As a consequence, he hadn’t really realized it… but of course. This was a Hellfire Gala. The authorities weren’t going to show up. No one in law enforcement had been called. There was already a clean up crew dealing with all of the bodies, bullet casings, and bullet holes, much to Thaddeus’ shock.
And with Tessa cleaning house in her own way, by the time the night was over, the only people who would remember what had really happened here would be the surviving mercenaries… and those who were official members of the Hellfire Club.
Thaddeus supposed he should have been pleased that Shaw clearly counted him among those members, even as just a White Pawn. But he was equally displeased to realize that now it wasn’t just that Natasha was in danger of being taken from him, it was that she was in danger of having her mind tampered with.
“… You know what, Tessa is going to be busy over there for a while from the looks of things. Emma! Be a dear and come over here, please.”
Straightening up, Thaddeus looks to the blonde White Queen as she sashays her way over. There’s a hint of apology in her eyes, but far more in her thoughts.
For all that he’s a brute, Shaw is very good at this game Thaddeus. He prides himself on being multiple steps ahead. Don’t fret though, he’s already signaled me not to actually wipe Natasha’s memories. He just wants an excuse to remove her from your presence so he can reveal his knowledge to her without letting you know.
So even now, Shaw didn’t realize that Thaddeus knew exactly who Natasha really was and what she could do. The Black King thought he was taking a gem off of Thaddeus that the younger man didn’t even know he had or something.
It was a cold comfort, admittedly. As Emma arrives at Shaw’s side, looking at them with an icy, superior expression on her face, Shaw is all smiles, a toothy grin stretching from ear to ear as he claps his hands together, creating a miniature shockwave from the motion. A mistake or a reminder of just how much power he currently had stored up? Did it matter?
“Right then. Hold the girl steady and let Emma make all of this nasty business go away. Then, we can get on with the party. Not to worry darling, you’ll enjoy the upgrade to my arm, I guaranteed it.”
That last part is directed at Natasha, obviously. Said right in front of Thaddeus’ face, it’s a massive insult… but then, Shaw clearly doesn’t think Thaddeus can or will do anything about it. And really, what can he do? He’d known that politely declining wasn’t likely to go well, but he hadn’t known just how poorly it could go.
He was right back where he started. By all rights, he should just give Natasha up. He should just let Shaw have her. She was a big girl; she could handle herself. And there was a lot of value to having someone on the inside too, really. Natasha had some resistance to telepathy as well, so she should be able to hide her true loyalties from Tessa.
And yet… and yet, Thaddeus can’t bring himself to do it. Logic dictates that he should. Every rational fiber of his being is saying he needs to let Natasha go. But he’s not some robot, at the end of the day. He’s still a person with all of the emotions and feelings that come with that.
“No.”
The single word rings through the air and all three of the people he’s standing with react in their own ways. Natasha tenses up against his side, getting ready for what comes next. Emma winces but inclines her head ever so slightly while reaffirming mentally that she ‘has his back no matter what’.
And Shaw? Shaw freezes for a fraction of a second, his wolfish grin becoming forced as he slowly tilts his head to the side.
“Excuse me?”
Thaddeus carefully and deliberately pushes Natasha behind him and slightly away, giving her room to get out of dodge again if… no, rather, when the going gets tough.
“I said ‘no’. I’m not going to let you just wipe her memories. And I’m not giving her over for you to have your way with either.”
Maybe, just maybe, everything that Emma knows about Sebastian Shaw is wrong, or through the lens of a woman dealing with a misogynistic bastard. Maybe Shaw will respect defiance from the little guy, just this once. Maybe he’ll have a soft spot for his fellow mutant that clearly didn’t exist for an irritant like Pierce.
… Yeah, Thaddeus had always known it was a long shot. Faster than even HIS eyes can track, Shaw steps into his personal space and buries his fist in Thaddeus’ gut. Cessily’s presence absorbs the impact, along with the fact that Shaw is holding back so Thaddeus isn’t thrown right into Natasha behind him, but the blow still breaks multiple ribs, causing them to pierce Thaddeus’ lungs and sending him to his knees.
He starts healing immediately, of course, but not before coughing up a thick glob of blood onto the ground at Shaw’s feet.
Grabbing him by his hair, Shaw pulls his head back and sneers down at him.
“Defiance? After you just saw what I do to disloyal traitors. What is mine is mine. And what is yours… is also mine.”
Shaw sneers down at him.
“Consider your membership to the Hellfire Club revoked. Frost. Wipe this idiot’s mind so I can throw him out.”
Hah… so even now, Shaw was going to let him live, albeit as an amnesiac from the sound of things. Another out that Thaddeus could easily take, given the Black King was relying on Thaddeus’ ally to do the mind wiping. And yet, it would still leave Natasha in Shaw’s hands… and cut Thaddeus off from the Hellfire Club at the same time.
Reaching up, Thaddeus grabs Shaw’s wrist and activates Rogue’s power. He starts to drain the Black King right then and there… and the man doesn’t even notice. The sheer amount of energy he has stored up seems to be almost infinite as Thaddeus fully heals and then continues collecting power from the Black King.
This lasts until Shaw, sneering, winds up and kicks Thaddeus right in the face, sending him skidding backwards across the floor. The kick was enough to knock out several teeth and shatter Thaddeus’ jaw, but of course that starts to heal immediately as well.
Cessily is just beneath the surface, bubbling with anticipation, but Thaddeus has her hold off for the moment. They need surprise on their side if this is going to work. Sure, Shaw has already seen his armored form, but that doesn’t mean he understands exactly what it means.
“Frost!”
At Shaw’s barked command, Emma, who has been hesitating, slowly shakes her head. Seeing Thaddeus’ desire to fight, she doesn’t bother trying to pretend she’s wiping his mind.
“I… can’t. Something is blocking me from his mind.”
Shaw’s eyes widen and his nostrils flare in outrage. He looms over Thaddeus for a moment, watching him heal before calling out another name.
“Tessa!”
The Black King’s secretary hurries over as fast as high heels allow. She doesn’t even need orders to immediately look down at Thaddeus and begin trying to invade his mind. Unlike Emma, Tessa is actually trying… but just like Emma previously, the new psychic runs up against the Porcupine Defense.
“I… cannot breach his defenses. It is as thought his mind has been calcified in some way.”
Shaw’s jaw clenches for a long moment as he looks between the two female telepaths before his gaze finally lands on Emma.
“We will be having words about your recruitment methods later, Frost. Exactly who did you let into our midst? Never mind…”
Turning his gaze back to Thaddeus, Shaw stomps forward, a glint in his eye that promises extreme violence even beyond what he’s already shown so far.
“I see you have some sort of healing factor as well. I suppose we’ll be testing its limits then.”
The Black King positively glows with energy as he raises his fists and begins leaning down, clearly intending to beat Thaddeus to death. It won’t work, of course… but Thaddeus doesn’t intend to let Shaw find that out the hard way. Instead… it’s time. He shifts into the liquid diamond form that he’d gotten from fucking Mercury and Emma for the first time outside of testing… and surges upwards, swimming around Shaw’s fists.
Cessily swims with him, her body and his all but merging together into one being with two separate minds. They’re like puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together despite constantly changing, despite their liquid nature.
Shaw shouts in anger as they slam into him, covering him from head to toe and taking him to the ground. Immediately, Thaddeus goes back to draining the man, even as Shaw punches and kicks out, struggling mightily.
It’s not that he doesn’t manage to break free in places. He blows parts of Thaddeus and Cessily back from his body over and over again. But he simply can’t push all of what they currently are off of him. He might be one of the strongest men on the planet right now after how much kinetic energy he absorbed from Pierce. It just doesn’t matter in the face of what Thaddeus and Cessily are doing.
There’s nothing Tessa can do to stop them either, and even if she tries, Thaddeus expects Emma to block her. In this moment, Thaddeus has already won. He can feel Shaw getting weaker, even if that weaker is still insanely strong. Still, at this point the Black King is a dead man walking.
Except… should Thaddeus go for the kill? All the previous reasons for not letting Shaw live still ring true, but Thaddeus knows it would be crossing a line all the same. The fallout will be biblical no matter what he does, but which scenario does he want to live with?
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A/N: Peace... Peace was never an option.
Comments
Sean
Why not incapacitate Shaw and Tessa and then work with Emma to erase their memories of what happened that night?
Nanaya7Nights
Through choking. Wouldn't work on someone with powerful magic or telekinesis.
Nanaya7Nights
He has to kill Shaw right now, of he takes Shaw out of here alive, he cannot kill him in a way that wouldn't attract the attention of the heroes and villains.
Nanaya7Nights
It would make more sense for Emma to give advice without being asked. A good moment would be the start of next chapter. Emma could telepathicaly ask Thaddeus what he plans to do & suggest that he kills Shaw by choking him while absorbing his powers. That way there will be no evidence of Thaddeus having Rogue's powers and he can get Shaw's powers permanently. Also, this is the perfect chance for Thaddeus to kill Shaw and frame it as an act done in "defence of another".
Nat
No new weekly polls yet?
Devon
came far too late, I see. Oh well. I woulda argued everyone to let shaw live, knock out Tessa and have Emma go hog on Shaws mind, wiping this incident and filling him full of triggers.
WildMartin
Personally I don't understand why he didn't ask Emma for advice on what to do they could have talked telepathically.
VaticToxic
Isn't there at least one comic run where if Rogue kills someone she absorbs their soul and keeps it inside her with the only way to release them being to give up their powers or something?
Rockinalice
Well if we are going with the kill option shit is about to get Serious, in the Hellfire Club might can an does make right YOU KEEP WHAT YOU KILL Taking out shaw will open the position of King but now Selene will not be underestimating Thad. Though Selene can be bargined with an can be convinced to work along Thad though he is going to need to work on magical defense immediately. Selene is a contender for Sorcerer supreme an has been for centuries, she has forgotten more about magic then most civilizations have discovered in the last 10,000yrs. Thad is going to need to be STONK like a Certain Hyperborien Barbarian if we will want her to view us as a Peer. Good news that Rogues mutation should counter Selene's
Para
Thad has has hopped, skipped and trod over the line a few times over at this point. There are many a witness, some of whom are likely to have already left or reported so even if Emma in her many shag empowered state were to pull a Tessa and start wiping minds she's not likely to stop the leak. Others are likely to have eyes on that we don't even know about. Incapacitating Shaw is likely to be a inconvenience at best to whoever really wants answers as to what happened. It's far from perfect but there really isn't much of an option but to deal with the current problem, permanently because screw giving someone like shaw any kind of chance, and worry about original concerns later. Finish Him.
Sith2go
What if he has Rogue absorb that power from him, and then fuck her to permanently get it?
Osiris Sundavr
And nightmare fuel
Osiris Sundavr
This right here is the best way about this I can think of right now
White Wolf
I don’t think she will mind as long as she thinks things are still under her control
Osiris Sundavr
Selene would notice the difference.
Gamesempie
It went out the window the minute we chose Natasha to accompany him. Admittedly the only options back then where he might have been able to fly under the radar if Shaw was able to recognize Natasha is if he brought Rogue or no one, and I still stand by not using Rogue like that.
RageKage
Being strong enough to kill Shaw in a few months is absolutely worthy of notice.
Erinnyes
Never, ever wound the king. You serve the king or kill the king. Serving just went out the window, time to go for killing.
Nanaya7Nights
Thaddeus has Emma's Psychic powers and Laura's psychic resistence, he should be able to deal with the psychic impact of absorbing all of Shaw's personality.
JO LP
Didn't she eventually lose those powers anyway? It just took longer than normal
Nanaya7Nights
The only reason Selene would try to aquire Thaddeus early is if she thinks he has gained powers that can be a threat to her or that he and/or Emma have slipped their leash. So long as Thaddeus kills Shaw by choking him and silences or subverts Sage, there should be no proof that he has any esoteric powers except Cessily's and that can be blamed on Laura trying to help her friend. Emma should pretend like she just found out about it as it was a recent development and pass it on to Selene, saying that Thaddeus is now showing the ability to absorb powers from mutants who do not have proper human biology so long as they can imitate it enough for him to cum in/on them. That should lessen Selene's suspicion but she will end up increasing the surveillance on Thaddeus and use agents other than Emma to make sure that Emma isn't plotting her own ascension through Thaddeus. That said, yes this has been a major escalation in the world of Marvel where Thaddeus would have enough problems without the ancient near immortal witch accelerating her plans for him.
Nanaya7Nights
If Thaddeus drains Shaw while suffocating him, he might get Shaw's powers permanently the way Comics!Rogue gets Ms.Marvel's powers.
Sharpe
Do it!
JO LP
Well, he tried to do it the easy and subtle way but I guess Shaw is too proud for his own good. The only reason not to kill him would be not to tip their hand to Selene, but that ship has sailed already with this confrontation. I wonder, if Thad in liquid form gets inside Shaw's body and suffocates him, does it count as him having fucked Shaw, for the purposes of gaining his powers permanently? Also, with Cessily being quasi fused with him, while he has Rogue's power active, shouldn't she be drained too?
RageKage
This has been such a disappointing development. What the hell happened to subterfuge and slowly working your way up? There should really only be one chapter left at this point, Selene comes to see what the fuck is going on and either he wins or loses. The end.
Mackayo
No sense letting Shaw off the hook now, the cat is out of the bag
Voivode
To quote a certain emperor: kill him; kill him now.
Alun Lewis
The faeces have already hit the oscillating air mover...might as well really go wild and take a huge threat like Sebastián Shaw off of the board permanently. But like others have said...have it look like Cessily crawled down his throat and blocked his airways as the cause of death, so Thad's power leeching isn't revealed right away. Then Emma and Natasha can both start doing damage control on their respective ends.
White Wolf
Thaddeus should knock out shaw then with Emma’s help wrap his mind to make him a puppet.
VaticToxic
We in the Hellfire Club, boyos, murder him. The only downside to the murder (besides Selene spotlight) is if Thad inherited the personality absorption from Rogue, and if he can keep that under control. And that will happen regardless of Coma or kill.
redhawktiger
Gonna be honest here, I didn't vote, and I'm not gonna. Shaw is dangerous, and I'd honestly say he's too dangerous to let live, but Thad making that call...it's one thing to kill in the heat of battle, if Thad has the time to think things through and goes for the kill, how will that effect him and his relationships? Honestly, I'd say have a mental conversation with Emma and let her make the call, especially since she knows Shaw, Selene, and the risks involved much better than Thad does.
Jeremiah Broshar
Honestly there will probably be enough potential backstabbing once Selene gets more involved.
shadowbadger
Our boy ain't no goody two shoes hero. And he's seen first hand how those you think are out of play can come back. This requires total destruction probably including the body itself.
Nanaya7Nights
Emma is significantly stronger after her time with Thaddeus. Thaddeus can drain Tessa a bit to see how her mental defences are shaped and to get an idea of her thoughts. Then he can share that information with Emma who can take Tessa to her penthouse and then take her time breaking her defences (using the information she got from Thaddeus) and work to subvert Sage to her side.
Nanaya7Nights
He would likely be the White King. But a more sensible move would be for Emma to act to make him her White Knight before Selene makes her move.
Nanaya7Nights
Kill him Alexandria style.
Nanaya7Nights
Selene doesn't care for Shaw & so long as Thaddeus hides his most dangerous powers, Selene shouldn't rush to eat him. Though she will start paying more attention to him & will involve other agents in her surveillance.
Collar Spider
Biiig oof. Wasn't expecting this to happen. Not sure where we go from here but hopefully Selene doesn't come down on us
Nanaya7Nights
For best results he should kill Shaw by suffocating him with his liquid form to hide the fact that he can drain mutants.
Nanaya7Nights
This also helps with the coverup: Emma can adjust memories and use Hellfire resources to make it look like Shaw & Pierce killed each other. She can then tell Selene that Shaw was a threat to Thaddeus so she told him that he was in mortal peril, so Thaddeus used he newly acquired power in a desperate attempt to stop Shaw & ended up killing him. She will need to subvert or silence Tessa though if she wants the Psychic defence kept a secret. Natasha can report to Fury that Thaddeus believed that Shaw was about to ra*e his defenseless RA & tried to choke him out but ended up killing him by accident & Emma promised to cover it up. Cessily can report the same thing to Xavier. And Thaddeus can go to Jen, Jan & Sue to ask their "help" in dealing with the fact that he killed someone in an attempt to stop them from hurting his friend. That should cover all their bases, though Fury & Selene will be sceptical and will probably increase their surveillance of Thaddeus. Added bonus, Fury now knows that Thaddeus is too invested in Natalie Rushman & that removing her would draw too much attention.
Demonbaby12
Nough half measures Waulta
Nanaya7Nights
Thaddeus should enter Shaw's throat and choke him from the inside while draining him. It will also make it so that ONLY a powerful telekinetic could save Shaw. It would also make sense as Emma would have already informed him that despite his strength, Shaw still needs to breathe to live. That way he can keep the fact that he has Rogue's power hidden. Neutralizing him any other way would require that he reveal Rogue's power which would be bad given Selene's desire to consume him. Also, if he drains Shaw while killing him, I am pretty sure the power absorbtion will be permanent. He needs to show the killer instinct to rise in the Hellfire Club. As for the power Thaddeus has shown, Emma can blame Laura for introducing him to Cessily making that power Xaviers's fault. She can also make a show of being surprised that Thaddeus was able to have sex with his new friend despite her unique biology. She can then report it to Selene to make it look like this is a new discovery for her. The question is: What should they do with Sage? In the short term, Emma should use her distraction to go diamond & knock her out. No ideas about the long run at the moment.
Miles H
Shaw wanted to think with his dick, end him and he will never use it again! Plus it ties Black Widow even closer to Thaddeus. Also killing Shaw could throw things off with Selene and the Hellfire Club as a whole. Could Thaddeus be given Shaw's Black King position in a keep what you kill theme?
Rotaugur
WHat year is it in the story? I did say last chapter to just drain Shaw like a nice little juicebox at the refreashing table of an beach orgy. He is oa serious risk at anny point of his . Dont forget to eliminate his assisstant as well. I would eather just let him drain her or let emma enslave her to help them. Just a through, but could chad use his ability to drain mutations in combination with shaws ability to manipulate energy, to reroute the "live energy" that he drains with the mutations that he takes, and ,for example, transfere the psychic mtations from Tessa to Emma? Or use them to transfere the ability to heal from Laura on a temp base over to Natasha to heal her?
War sage
The thing is while I agree with killing Shaw 100% the thing is will he stay dead permanently
Sif
Don't leave an enemy as powerful as Shaw at your back, the stakes are way too high at this point.
Rapthorn2ndform
If he goes full drain with rogues powers, he could get shawls power permanently like she did with captain marvel. MEMORIES too. This could be a gold mine
Christopher
at this point he has revealed he is strong and can go toe to toe with him and this will get back to the others so might as well kill him so we won't have to deal with down the line when thaddeus has more to lose
Josh Snider
That escalated quickly.
Bob Collinge
Leaving shaw alive would be a terrible mistake never leave someone that powerfull alive unless you want them to comeback and stab you
Haru
I don’t mind him killing Shaw but wouldn’t any decision he makes speed up the black queens plans for him or at least allows her to appear more often?
Kendell Ford
Ahh shit here we go again as we all said last week we weren't worried about Shawn we were worried about his queen
