Safe Haven: The Last Place on Earth

[Erinyes]

"You heard the lady, Major Domo," Erinyes said as she grabbed his hand and started to go through the portal. She hated being back in this world, but having her brothers with her again made it a tiny bit better. As they moved through the portal, Bethany thought about what Jericho had said about her father. She never knew who her father was, and right now was not the best time to find out. That much she was totally clear about.

As she and Major Domo stepped out of the portal, she was shocked by the fact the air seemed clean and that there were trees and plants all around them.

"Did we wind up in the woods or something? Is this a garden? I have never been here before, Major Domo," Erinyes said as she looked around them and heard birds for the first time since they arrived back in her home world. She turned to see if anyone else was coming through the portal, but they were getting there very slowly.

[Major Domo]

''You never have to tell me twice,'' Major Domo said after a brief frown. He didn't seem to mind Erinyes taking his hand. *At least we found her brothers.* He stepped through the portal before he began to squint.

Major Domo tilted his head in confusion after he exited the portal with Erinyes. He saw trees with a variety of plants. ''I'm just as confused as you are, Erinyes.'' Was the environment a mere illusion?  

[Erinyes]

"OK, let me see..." Erinyes said as she walked a few steps ahead of Major Domo and pulled a flower from a plant. She sniffed it and rubbed the petals between her fingers. "These are real. This is not some crazy magicked-up illusion. I just wish the others would get here."

As she turned back toward her companion, Erinyes saw the Cybercide members carrying her brother Jericho, and her brother Joshua exited the portal as well. The portal started to shake as soon as they made it through, and Erinyes feared someone was trying to hunt them down. "Where's Freyja? The portal isn't stable," she asked Joshua as he, too, turned back and looked at the portal. "Major Domo, if something goes wrong, go with my the guys from Cybercide and my brother Jericho. Joshua and I will get to you as fast as we can. Joshua, where are we anyway."

"Base camp," was all Joshua said as the portal started to collapse on itself. "Get back, Bethany!"

"No, I have to hold this up in case one of our teammates is in between portal points," she replied as she looked to see if anyone was moving closer to them. "Major Domo,  I'll be OK."

[Major Domo]

Major Domo viewed Erinyes plucking a flower. He couldn't help but wonder if they wandered into a trap. The flower seemed familiar to him due to Spiral using portals to bring him to Earth during his days as Mojo's slave.

He turned his head until he glanced at Jericho and Joshua. *At least they made it through the portal.* His eyes became wide after Erinyes announced her sudden plan.

''What?! Erinyes! You said we had to be together!'' Major Domo exclaimed. He shook his head in disbelief as the portal began to collapse. ''If you were injured or worse...'' Major Domo frowned for a few moments. He refused to complete the particular sentence. He remained near Erinyes.

[Kitsune]

A blur moved past those coming through the portal, and soon a young blonde haired teen stood next to the girl holding open the portal. "Joshua! You made it back!"

"This is Taro," Joshua said as he walked near Major Domo. "Taro, I need to have you hold this open while my sister and her friend head with the rest of us to the medics."

"You are his sister? Whoa!" Taro yelled as he started to nudged Erinyes out of the way. "I got this. Go get some rest. We made a big pot of stew, and Sakura made bread," Taro said as he grinned at Major Domo. "I'm Taro. Nice to see new faces."

Erinyes backed away from the portal with a concerned look on her face. "Taro, I'm Erinyes...Bethany Kincaid. This is my friend Major Domo. If you see a woman with six arms coming through the portal, close it and run."

"But your friends..." Taro started to say as Erinyes shook her head.

"If you see a six armed woman, then the fight on the other side ended badly," Erinyes said as she hung her head. "Major Domo, I hope Blink and the others make it. I don't want to consider any other options at this point!"

 

[Major Domo]

Major Domo's eyes increased in size after he saw an unfamiliar teen. He nodded at the latter after the introduction. ''Thank you for providing food and shelter for us,'' he said. He gasped at the mention of Spiral. Major Domo had no idea if Mojo sent Spiral to bring him back to the Mojoverse. His eyes settled on Taro for a moment.

''It won't be a good idea to battle Spiral, the six-armed woman. Although she has to dance or gesture to cast spells, she still has her many swords. Never underestimate Spiral,'' Major Domo said to Taro. He faced Erinyes for a few seconds. ''I'm certain our companions will be fine. Maybe,'' he said until he frowned. 

[Erinyes]

"How did she find us, or was she as surprised to see us as we were to see her?" Erinyes asked Major Domo as they followed the others to what looked like a small village. There was one large building made of layered stones in the middle of a ring of houses, and there were small gardens and a few chicken coops scattered around the living area. "Chickens? And gardens?"

"This is a farming area outside the capital," Joshua said as he caught up to Major Domo and his sister. "Very far outside the capital. We can go to the main hall so you can rest and have your injuries checked. I'm going to make sure Jericho is taken to our medics. Once we figure out how to help him, you can come check on him."

"What about our friends?" Erinyes asked her brother as she stayed close to Major Domo.

"Taro will get them to us. His cousins Sakura and Sasuke will help him. Sakura is one of our better cooks, but she's also a very fierce warrior. These kids saw their parents killed, so they get very protective about people they see as family. Anyone connected to the resistance movement becomes family."

Erinyes nodded as she touched Major Domo on the shoulder. "We may make it out of here in one piece after all, Major Domo. Do you think Spiral has some way to track us? Some way Mojo gave her that I'm not aware of but that you might remember?" 

[Major Domo]

''I'm not sure how Spiral found us, Erinyes,'' Major Domo said. He still frowned until his eyes increased in size. ''Spiral might be watching us on television monitors from somewhere. Hopefully she didn't give anyone bionic eyes so that she can spy on us.'' Major Domo faced Erinyes. The corners of his mouth descended.

''Spiral and Mojo captured the X-Man known as Psylocke until they gave her bionic eyes. I guess someone removed Psylocke's real eyes before she was brought to Mojo's world. Mojo didn't return Psylocke's sight out of the kindness of his heart. The eyes acted as cameras to record the X-Men after Psylocke returned to Earth. The X-Men brought high ratings for Mojo,'' Major Domo said. He continued to face Erinyes after she touched his shoulder.

Major Domo shrugged after his companion's questions. ''I don't know all of Spiral's abilities. Hopefully she won't find us at all. Spiral can be very unpredictable,'' he said.  

[Joshua Kincaid]

"You guys are talking about the six-armed woman, right?" Joshua asked his sister and Major Domo as Paris, Deion and Duke took Jericho into the stone building. "The women with her, two of them anyway, are from this world. I'm guessing they found each other working for Abaddon. We'll keep an eye out for them. Alexandria Kilduff and Victoria Driver are likely just as dangerous as your enemy is."

"I pray Spiral hasn't augmented anyone with bionic eyes!" Erinyes replied as she looked between Major Domo and Joshua. "And I hope she isn't in league with this man you call Abaddon. He sounds as bad as that man the X-Men all hate. Nathaniel Essex. They call him Mister Sinister."

"What kind of name is Mister Sinister?" Joshua asked as he shook his head. "Sounds like he should be in a novel or a movie."

"A horror movie, just like Spiral," Erinyes added and then gasped as an idea came to her. "Major Domo, can she hack into communications systems? That might be how Spiral found us!"

[Major Domo]

Major Domo's eyes began to widen after Joshua mentioned a six-armed woman. He turned to Joshua. ''The six-armed woman is indeed Spiral.'' He shrugged at the mention of Alexandria Kilduff and Victoria Driver. ''Mister Sinister?'' Major Domo muttered before he shook his head. He had no idea who any of Spiral's new companions were.

Major Domo turned to Erinyes after the question about Spiral. He began to shrug another time. ''I wasn't around Spiral when she was on Earth. I assume she is capable of anything.'' 

[Erinyes]

"Maybe we should just be glad for the respite and worry about Spiral later," Erinyes said as she saw more people coming out to see who had arrived with Joshua. "I know you don't eat, Major Domo, but just sitting and taking a moment to count our blessings is a good idea. You helped find my brothers, and I am so grateful for that," Bethany said as she hugged her friend. "Thank you. I know Jericho will need help, but at least he's alive. And we can make sure he's well and then get him and Joshua to come back with us."

Joshua looked at his sister, and she could see that he was not thrilled by her comment. "We can talk about leaving this place later. I can't just leave these people with no one to step into my place," Josh said as he finally set his bow and quiver down near the door of the stone building. "I know why you want us to go, and I might send Jer with you first. We'll see."

Erinyes nodded and then turned back to Major Domo. "One thing at a time," she said softly as she smiled at her friend. "I need to learn to be more patient, I guess. Should we follow everyone inside, or would you rather stay outside for a bit, Major Domo?"

[Major Domo]

''You're correct about counting our blessings, Erinyes,'' Major Domo said. He smiled at her. ''You liberated me by getting me out of Mojo's world. Helping you with finding your brothers was how I was able to repay you.'' His eyes were big after his friend embraced him. Mojo's hands around his neck were normal. He supposed being strangled was his fault for revealing misinformation about television ratings or information about any escaped slaves. Hugs weren't ordinary to the android.

''We could go inside. I'll go with whatever you would like to do,'' Major Domo said. His shrug happened to be casual. He couldn't help but glance over his friend's shoulder and worry. Frowning, Major Domo wondered if Mojo sent his other servants to capture him with Erinyes. There was also Spiral to worry about. The woman was a deadly adversary with her magic, swords, six arms, power to teleport, etc.

Major Domo had to consider his options if Spiral or Mojo appeared. He wasn't much of a fighter. Although he was intelligent, he figured his smarts weren't enough to defeat Mojo and Spiral. Major Domo supposed he was quick. Would he be fast enough to protect Erinyes and his other associates? He hoped he wouldn't have to discover the answer.

[Erinyes]

"I guess we should go inside then," Erinyes said to Major Domo as she went to open the door to the stone building. She looked behind them for a moment and saw that the others had made it out as well, and she gasped when she realized Spiral was not chasing them. "The others are here, and no sign of Spiral! Thank goodness!"

"And no sign of those freaky women with the wings," Nocturne said as she waved to Erinyes and Major Domo. "They were scary! The lab blew up as the portal was closing behind us, so I'm betting most of them went up with it."

"I'm glad no one followed you," Erinyes said as she motioned for everyone to go inside. "Joshua said there's food inside for us and medics for those who need them."

As they all walked inside, Erinyes saw two chairs near a window and started to walk over to them. "That looks perfect for us, Major Domo. I'm not hungry right now, but I should rest until I can go see Jericho. Please come sit with me," she said as she smiled at her friend. "We'll be out of here soon, and then maybe we can figure out what to do with the rest of our time back, well, in our new home. Do you like staying with the X-Men?"

[Major Domo]

''At least we can relax for now,'' Major Domo muttered. He frowned after winged women were mentioned. ''I forgot about the ladies with the wings,'' he said.

Major Domo followed Erinyes into the building. He sat on the floor, but remained near her. His frown was still on his face. After glancing at the floor, he focused on Erinyes.

''I haven't been with the X-Men long enough to know if I like being in their home. To tell the truth, I'm a bit anxious near them. How are they able to forgive me after what Mojo did to them during the past several years? I never tried to prevent Mojo from enslaving them.''  

[Nocturne]

TJ was walking near Major Domo when she heard him ask his question. She plopped down on the floor next to him as Blink leaned on the wall behind her. "Look, it isn't easy for anyone to forgive and forget. Sometimes it is way too hard to forget. But it isn't like you had a choice in what you did. Major Domo, Mojo forced you to do what you did. We realize that."

As Nocturne closed her eyes for a minute, it was hard to push aside all that had happened of late, but she knew she had to in order to make this talk be all it should be. She was frazzled and hungry, but most of all she needed sleep.

"Sorry. Just getting super tired after that mess in the lab," she said as she stretched and blinked for a minute. "The X-Men have always been about second chances. Rogue. Gambit. Wolverine. Emma Frost. If we can do it for them, then why not for you?"

  

[Major Domo]

Major Domo glanced at TJ before he concentrated on the ground. Part of him still felt responsible for Mojo capturing her years ago. If he remembered correctly, Mojo tortured Nocturne in order to get Morph to star in a television show. He remembered seeing a televised image of Nocturne's cuts and burn marks all over her body, her  shaved head, etc. Major Domo was also aware of her attempt to possess Spiral based on the teleporter's description about the experience. He turned to TJ with a sheepish expression.

Nocturne was correct about Mojo forcing him to torment enemies. ''You know as well as I do how cruel Mojo is,'' Major Domo said. He tilted his head in curiosity after Nocturne mentioned Rogue, Gambit, etc. He didn't remember them as ex-enemies of the X-Men.

Major Domo began to put a hand under his face. ''You're correct. The X-Men may give me another chance. Hopefully all of them are aware of my status as Mojo's slave.''

Major Domo proceeded to smile at Nocturne. ''In case you're worried about me getting food and water, don't be. I don't require water and food.''

 

[Ajari]

Hiro wandered over to the group with a big bowl of something that looked like noodles and vegetables. He pulled sets of chopsticks and some smaller bowls out of a bag he had slung over his shoulder, set the items down and smiled at everyone. "Everybody dig in! If you don't like it, I can get everyone something else."

"I feel weird eating now," TJ said as she looked at Major Domo. "I mean, I know that sounds stupid, but I never actually thought about those of our group who don't have to eat. Does it bother you if we eat, Major Domo?"

"We do a lot of things androids don't have to do," Erinyes said as she looked at the bowl on the table. "Blink, Nocturne, you go ahead. I want to see how my brother is," she started to say as she stood up.

"I can tell you he's still passed out," Hiro said as he looked at Erinyes. "I had to get my arm bandaged, and I saw them working on him. I bet you guys can't wait for him to wake up so we can leave."

"Getting out of here sounds like a great idea, but I'm not sure how long that will be since Joshua feels funny leaving his friends," Erinyes said as she sat down next to Major Domo. "And don't worry. We have done nothing but help the X-Men. I'm sure they will let us stay as long as we like."
 

[Major Domo]

Major Domo glanced at Hiro as the latter appeared with a bowl of noodles and vegetables. *It's nice of Hiro to feed everyone* he thought. He smiled at Nocturne. ''Not at all. Eat as much as you like.'' Major Domo turned to Erinyes as his smile remained. ''I'm certain your sibling is doing okay.''

Major Domo hoped he was right about his friend's sibling. ''Hopefully most of the X-Men will remember that we're with them.'' That was when he thought of Mojo's scowl and shuddered. ''I'm still worried about Mojo sending slave hunters to capture me. Mojo is not exactly the patient type. As for Spiral, she is difficult to keep track of due to her ability to travel through dimensions and time.''

[Joshua Kincaid]

"Slave hunters?" Joshua asked Major Domo as he walked over to the group. "We have way too many of them here still, but we'll do all we can to keep you and your friends safe, Bethany. That woman with six arms. Was she a slave hunter? If she is, she might be working for whoever is taking over Ronan's throne. We keep tabs on most of his bounty hunters. Like our old friend Gareth Killduff over there, and Britt," he added as he motioned toward the redhead and her boyfriend. "But with Ronan dead, I have no idea who is in line for the throne now."

Joshua looked back toward the med bay and shook his head. "Jer will be out cold for a bit. I'd like to hear more about Spiral and, who was the other guy? Mojo?"

[Major Domo]

Major Domo saw Joshua and continued to frown. ''Yes. Mojo does send slave hunters to capture runaway chattel. As for the woman with the six arms, she is indeed a slave hunter. She is Spiral. She also happens to be a slave of Mojo just like me. Mojo tends to use Spiral as his executioner.''

Major Domo paused for a few minutes. ''Mojo rules a dimension where ratings are supreme. He is from a race of Spineless Ones. They create bipedal slaves. Sometimes the slaves act in deadly movies. Sometimes slaves direct others.''

The frown on Major Domo's face remained. ''Spiral is quite powerful. She can cast a variety of spells. She is also capable of teleporting herself between worlds and time. There are also her multiple swords to worry about. Never underestimate Spiral. Although she does possess a few weaknesses.''

Major Domo proceeded to smile at a snail's pace. ''Spiral needs to gesture with all of her arms to cast spells. If you can bind her hands together, you should be safe. Spiral can also be distracted during her dance. Throw objects at her and her dance will stop. I suppose you could distract Spiral as well. Why am I giving you information about Spiral's weaknesses? Spiral has the potential to harm my companions, including you with Erinyes.'' 

[Joshua Kincaid]

"Better to know one's enemy..."  Joshua started to say as he looked at Major Domo. "That way I can keep you all safe until we get you headed home. We just need to make sure Jer is up for the trip."

"And you! You have to come with us, too!" Bethany said as she got to her feet and walked toward her brother. "Major Domo and the others risked everything to come here with me to make sure you were safe and to bring you back with us."

"I can't just walk away..." Joshua started to say as Carlos came over. "Yeah, C?"

"Maybe you could go with them and find us some help? Somebody out there has to have weapons we can use, or reinforcements or something," Carlos said as he looked from Joshua to Major Domo and the others. "I mean, we're not gonna make a dent in the Red Guard and the Death Angels at this rate."

"And who'll run things here? I'm not thinking about that now, C," Joshua said to Carlos as he shook his head. "Major Domo, you said this Mojo had slaves. Were they all from your world, or is it possible he has them from other worlds, like this one? We had a slaver here a few weeks ago, and we barely escaped that guy. To be honest, he looks like that guy Duke you brought along with you, except he has pointy ears. And he's mean as hell."

[Major Domo]

Major Domo began to put a hand under his face. ''Better to know one's enemy,'' he muttered. He faced Joshua again. ''You are absolutely correct about knowing the enemy.'' Major Domo bit his lip out of anxiety. ''Part of me is still loyal to Mojo. I'm not sure if it would be a good idea to reveal Mojo's weaknesses.'' He continued to bite his lower lip.

''Most of Mojo's slaves were created in his dimension. Sometimes Mojo sent Spiral to different worlds in order to capture new slaves for a variety of television shows and movies. He liked capturing the X-Men in particular. They were quite well liked in the Mojoverse.'' Major Domo shrugged. ''Mojo will settle for any slave able to give him the highest ratings in his world.'' 

[Erinyes]

Erinyes looked at Major Domo and wondered if the fact he did not want to talk much about Mojo was because he was afraid their old master could somehow be keeping track of them after all this time. "Joshua, I doubt we'll be seeing Mojo here, and what Major Domo said about Spiral should help if she finds us. We just need to get you out of here. Don't worry about the rest of it right now."

"The people in this village need me to help keep them safe," Joshua replied as Bethany shook her head. "They can't do it alone."

"They won't be alone," Erinyes replied. "And maybe Carlos is right. Maybe you can use this time to help find people who can stop the Red Guard. Please...at least think about it." Bethany closed her eyes and sighed deeply before opening them again. "Major Domo, we'll make sure to get out of here long before Spiral figures out where we are. And I don't want to run into that slave trader Joshua mentioned. I hope that guy doesn't hook up with Spiral or Mojo. That would be very bad indeed!"

[Major Domo]

Major Domo bit his lip as his eyes became smaller. ''It's not a good idea to underestimate Mojo. He has his ways of winning even after he loses. It's a bit difficult to explain that part.''

Major Domo began to turn to Erinyes. ''Hopefully you're correct about Spiral, Erinyes. However, Spiral can be persistent when she wants to be. Then again, sometimes she loses focus if she finds something else she is interested in. For example, Spiral sometimes attacks one enemy different from the one her employer has in mind.'' Major Domo's eyes narrowed in confusion until he tilted his head. ''The slave trader?'' he muttered under his breath.

After frowning again, Major Domo nodded. ''Mojo will adore the slave trader if he obtains chattel for him. However, he won't cherish him if the slaves do not bring in high ratings. Lord Mojo will probably ''cancel'' the slave trader if that happens. As for the slave trader working with Spiral, it all depends on her whim. Sometimes Spiral is loyal and sometimes she isn't. Sometimes she'll abandon her teammates for whatever she has her dark heart set on. Spiral is deadly enough by herself.''   

[Erinyes]

Erinyes swallowed hard as she considered everything Major Domo said about Spiral and Mojo. She knew in her heart that he was right. He had much more experience with these two than anyone else did. "Then we have to make sure we get out of here. Or maybe some of us can leave now, and the rest can follow later."

"We are a team, and we will all leave together," Blink said as she looked at the group, finally grabbing a bowl and getting some of the food Hiro had brought to them. "I'm concerned about your brother. How long do you anticipate his recovery?" she asked Joshua, but the question was met with a shrug of his shoulders. "I figured as much."

"Major Domo, if this world is more or less run by magic, would that change how Spiral uses her powers? Would it make her stronger? Change her abilities at all? Have you seen her at work in worlds where there is more magic?"

"Well, what about you?" Duke asked as the Cybercide group walked over. "Do you feel more powerful here?"

"My powers work off my rage, and I hate this place so much, that is making my powers stronger," Erinyes said as she flexed her hands and a small ball of pink energy formed. "Otherwise, no, I'm not feeling any stronger. That's why I asked about Spiral and her powers. I have no clue how her magic works. I'm hoping you do, Major Domo."