WHAM: Muir Island Research Center

[Abaddon]

The portal opened, and Abaddon and his distaff group of associates moved the pods into the middle of the lab at the Muir Island Research Center. Abaddon seemed perturbed that someone in particular was not there to greet them. "Now where did he go?" the scientist muttered as he walked to a communications console and hit a large green button. "Nathaniel? Are you here? Please come to the main lab. I have some people I'd like you to meet."

Abaddon turned and nodded to Spiral. "Nathaniel is a marvelous geneticist. He crossed into this world from another just as you all did. He set up shop here, and we have been working jointly for several months now. I hope he didn't decide to go to the mainland. Now, would you like a tour? We may be staying here indefinitely, and you should see if all you need is in stock. And yes, I can take you to the area where you can track your prey Major Domo."

The white haired scientist looked at a bank of monitors to see others working in adjacent labs. "This is becoming quite a hub of activity for those interested in the evolution and augmentation of the human races. And we do get a few aliens from time to time, too."

[Spiral]

Spiral walked out of the portal as all six arms moved with her steps. ''Nathaniel?'' she muttered while she raised one eyebrow in interest. She nodded after Abaddon asked if she was interested in a tour. Her smile returned on her face. ''Major Domo will come across me sooner or later. It's his destiny to suffer like I did.''

Spiral glanced at her multiple arms. Although her extra limbs enabled her to cast a variety of powerful spells, they were constant reminders of the humanity Mojo erased after Arize's experiment on her. Physical ways of reminding her that she was no longer the past friendly stuntwoman.

Spiral faced Abaddon until her eyebrow went up again. ''Aliens? I don't suppose you viewed a large alien sitting on a mechanical spider-like platform.'' Although Spiral was able to transport others through different worlds, she wondered if there was another slave of Mojo with abilities similar to hers. She knew about hundreds of humanoid slaves in Mojo's dimension. Spiral just didn't know if they had unique abilities. Some slaves were androids like Major Domo. Some were unique just like Longshot.   

 

[Abaddon]

"No, I have never seen such an alien as the one you just described," Abaddon replied to Spiral as he walked to a holographic computer station and waved his hand to activate it. "Show me the records of all non-human life forms that have been processed at this lab," he said to the computer as holographic pictures formed a circle around him and Spiral. "Shi'ar. Brood. That thing was a nightmare, and we had to destroy it in the end. We had a Skrull once. But no, nothing like the one you mentioned."

"Where is Doctor Pasty Face?" Alexandria asked as she finally got the pods set in their proper places. "Oh, pardon me, Nathaniel. He gives me the creeps. He always looks at you like you're a rat in a cage."

"Now, now, Alexandria. Nathaniel is a genius. He may be a tad eccentric, but who among us has not had a moment ot two in life when we were not considered the eccentric ones?" Abaddon replied as he waved his arm and made the holographic images vanish. "Lady Mastermind, you seem very quiet. Is there a problem?"

"Just this guy you're describing. He sounds really familiar," Regan answered as she looked around the lab. "Maybe a little too familiar."

"I am sure that everything will work out according to plan," Abaddon said as he looked past Lady Mastermind and smiled at Spiral. "Are you tired after your ordeal? Or do you require nourishment? We do have a cook on the staff here who could make you something if you wish."

[Spiral]

''I shouldn't be shocked about Mojo's inability to travel through worlds without my aid.'' Spiral frowned and shook her head after a few aliens were mentioned. ''I don't know about seeing Skrulls or the Brood.'' She glanced at Lady Mastermind and was suddenly curious about her association with Nathaniel. Abaddon's words caused her to face him. ''Now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry. Does the cook know how to make pizza?''

[Mister Sinister]

"And the wheel has turned yet again."

A tall, exceedingly pale-skinned but dark haired man with a red diamond in the middle of his forehead walked out of the shadows and looked at Abaddon and his newly arrived colleagues. His dove gray hat and suit seemed to be from the Victorian era, and his walking stick clicked against the floor loudly as me made his way toward the group.

"Oh shit," Lady Mastermind said as she ran behind Victoria Driver.

"Regan, how good of you to come here and join this little venture. And I believe I have not had the pleasure, milady. I was born Nathaniel Essex, but you can call me Mister Sinister," he said to Spiral as he gestured to the six-armed teleporter. "Lady Mastermind, you need not hide behind the good Hand of the Emperor. I know you had nothing to do with my unfortunate accident in my Arctic lab."

"You know each other?" Abaddon asked with a wide grin on his face as he looked between Sinister and Lady Mastermind. "Excellent! Spiral, our cook can make you anything you wish!  And it will be a true celebration of what we will do going forward. Come everyone!"

Sinister smirked as he saw Lady Mastermind stick close to Victoria Driver. "Yes, a celebration indeed. A meeting of new minds and a reunion with old acquaintances."

"Everyone, follow me!" Abaddon said as he made his way out of the lab and down a corridor to a dining area.

[Spiral]

Spiral wasn't too shocked after a pale man appeared. She saw more unusual looking beings in her Body Shoppe and during days within Mojo's dimension. ''Mister Sinister,'' she muttered. She faced Abaddon before she smiled. Spiral couldn't remember her previous meal. She was more than happy to follow Abaddon. 

[Hand of the Emperor]

"Wait," Driver said as she moved up next to Spiral. "Your companion is not my responsibility," she said as she motioned to Lady Mastermind. She then looked toward Sinister. "Essex. Ronan made mention of an Essex before..."

"Before his own flesh and blood killed him?" Sinister said as he stopped and waited for Spiral and Driver to walk beside him. "Yes, I have heard that one of his daughters did him in. Or should I say her husband. The Count of Wallachia, if I am correct."

"Yes, Dracula killed the emperor," Driver said as she looked at Spiral. "If Ronan had had someone like you, he'd be alive now."

"Perhaps with our combined efforts, he might live again," Sinister said as he smiled at Spiral. "Do you work on the living, or have you experimented on the dead as well?"

[Spiral]

Spiral viewed Driver approaching her, but she didn't seem to mind. She grinned at a snail's pace. ''A daughter killed her own father? I wish I was present to see every moment of the father's death,'' Spiral said. One of her eyebrows raised after Sinister smiled at her. She looked thoughtful.

''I mostly work on the living, but I am capable of reviving the dead,'' Spiral said to Sinister.  

[Mister Sinister]

"I have worked mostly on the living," Sinister said as he turned back to see Lady Mastermind hanging very far in the rear. "Regan, please. I know it was Draven who likely spearheaded that attack. When you hire out, sometimes you get a rotten apple or two in the lot," he said to Spiral and Driver. "Reanimation can be a tricky thing. I have tried it once or twice but had little luck. The human spark is so hard to recapture. If one is looking to create mindless drones, then it likely works very well. I prefer to have creations with a bit more substance."

Essex smiled as the lot walked into a very large formal dining room. He ran a hand over the top of one chair before pulling it out for Spiral to take a seat. "Milady, please sit with me as we discuss the future. Abaddon said he was looking for a general for an army. Would that general be you?"

 

[Spiral]

''It appears that we do have a bit in common,'' Spiral said to Sinister after the latter mentioned mostly working on the living. She started to smile. ''Living subjects are easier to work on or torment. Corpses aren't amusing, since they don't shriek out of anguish or pain.''

Spiral found herself in a dining room. The sight of Sinister pulling out the chair for her didn't seem to bother her at all. ''Yes. That general would be me, Sinister. I would love to lead my own army. My followers aren't going to do all of the killing.'' She waited for food to be served.

[Mister Sinister]

What passed for a smile crossed Sinister's face as he saw the staff scurrying about with trays of food. He looked over Spiral's shoulder to see Lady Mastermind still hiding behind things. "Whatever you do, Spiral, don't put her in your army. She is much too timid to be a good soldier."

"You know, we do have some troops from Ronan's army that are recovering in hospitals near the border of Wallachia," Driver said as she sat down. "I'm sure you could find some good specimens there to work with. Vlad's army was infested with too many vampires and were-creatures, so we had to put our most severely injured to death. We could not abide them turning."

"Ah yes, Wallachia," Sinister said as he shook his head. "I am not fond of vampires or werewolves. That was why your king, may he rest in peace, and I got along so well. It is too bad he did not like mutants."

"He was a purist," Driver replied as she rolled her eyes. "And sadly, that got him in the end."

"Spiral, depending on the condition of these soldiers, do you think you'd be able to make use of the stronger ones? I am very much a believer in survival of the fittest," Sinister said as he smirked once more. "Perhaps you could put a few in a pit and watch them fight it out until only the best survived?"

[Spiral]

Spiral glanced at Lady Mastermind for a few seconds. ''Lady Mastermind's ability is useful,'' she muttered while she frowned. One of her eyebrows went up after vampires and were-creatures were mentioned. ''I was always around spineless creatures and androids such as Major Domo, but I never really interacted with were-creatures and vampires.''

The six-armed woman placed one hand under her face. ''I suppose strong soldiers could be of use to me.'' She started to smile at the idea of watching battles to the death in a pit. ''The thought of a literal survival of the fittest appeals to me. Battles to the death sometimes appealed to my master, Mojo.'' Spiral concentrated on Sinister.

''Mojo ruled a dimension where television ratings were absolute. The one with the highest ratings ruled that particular world. Spineless Ones were the main rulers. Beings with spines were the slaves of the Spineless Ones. I happened to be one of Mojo's slaves. Anyway, Mojo loved filming battles between others. Fights always caused ratings to increase.'' 

[Hand of the Emperor]

"Mojo sounds like he's insane, but then again, we've had our share of breads and circuses in this world," Driver said as she continued to chat with Sinister and Spiral. "When I was a girl, Ronan had contests, and the winner's families were elevated to very high status in the government. That's how I was able to move into my position as the Emperor's Hand. If I'd been some foot soldier, I might not have gotten this far."

"Do you know how many soldiers might be available for these contests?" Sinister asked Driver as more staffers ran around the room catering to their honored guests.

"I can find out how many were on the various fronts and see which ones have actually made it back to their bases," Driver said as she glanced toward Sinister and Spiral again. "Spiral, how many would you like for starters? Any preferences for race or gender? I've never had to think about this before. I was tasked with working on a mechanized army for Ronan, but the inventor of that lot seems to have vanished."

[Spiral]

''Mojo was indeed insane,'' Spiral muttered. She couldn't help but smile for a second. She, too, was not exactly sane. Perhaps her lack of sanity was due to Mojo's influence. Spiral lifted a glass before she sipped cool water. She turned to Driver.

''Any number will be fine, Driver. Zero preferences for gender or race.'' Spiral took another sip.

[Hand of the Emperor]

"And I am guessing you might want, well, some canon fodder to warm them up on?" Driver asked Spiral and she motioned for a staffer to come to her seat. "Holo-tablet and pointer," she said before the staffer ran off to get the times requested. "If I can get into the imperial database, I can give you a better idea of what's available. Do you need mechanized parts for any reason? That inventor, his name was Alvar, had warehouses all over Londinium. I'm sure I could go shopping for what you need. He was not exactly all there," she added as she tapped the side of her head, "but he was good at his craft. Had this crazy looking rabbit with gears and other mechanical parts working as his butler. Rabbit spoke perfect English."

"Alvar?" Abaddon asked as he looked at Driver. "And that damnable rabbit?  They bolted right after Ronan was slain. Alvar was from another dimension, and he was hiding from his wife. That's what the emperor told me, and I believe him."

"That they did, but he could not have taken all his wares with him," Driver replied as the staffer brought over the items she requested.  "Spiral, can you give me a rough estimate on the manpower you will need?"

 

[Spiral]

Spiral nodded at Driver. ''Maybe mechanized arms,'' she muttered under her breath. She began to put a hand under her face again. She was deep in thought another time. ''Maybe two hundred soldiers,'' Spiral said. Her eyes settled on a variety of food on the table. She smiled at the sight of a red apple. Its color reminded her of blood.

[Mister Sinister]

"Two hundred sounds like a fine number indeed," Sinister said with a smile as he sipped some wine. "And as for this Alvar, he sounds like a madman."

Lady Mastermind started to snicker, and Sinister shot her a look. "Sorry, but a lot of people use that phrase about you," she replied as she took a roll from a bread tray and put some butter on it. "None of us are exactly as pure as the driven snow."

"No, the innocent and common-minded do not understand the ways of the true visionaries in this world or any other," Sinister noted as he looked over at Spiral.  "You may need to go with the good Ms. Driver. While she may be a demon on the battlefield, I doubt she is a true scientist and might not bring you the best items."

"Are you saying I'm dimwitted, Essex? Or am I just some human trash in your eyes?" the Hand of the Emperor asked as she glared at the geneticist.

"No, I'm saying you have not augmented a human body and might not be used to shopping for the best parts," Sinister said with a slight smile as he looked back at Spiral again. "Who knows? Maybe you'll get to see that talking rabbit."

[Spiral]

Spiral's eyes settled on Lady Mastermind. She smiled at the latter's driven snow comment. *Some of us aren't pure due to others literally transforming our lives and forms* she thought. She never forgot about Mojo and Major Domo. Spiral lifted a dagger that was on the table. Her smile remained as she viewed one apple.

''Ms. Driver and I should be deadly together,'' Spiral said to Sinister. The thought of shopping for parts appealed to her. She saw the apple another time. ''If our enemies cross paths with us...'' Spiral brought the blade down on the apple before she sliced it in half. Her smile became a grin at a snail's pace.

[Mister Sinister]

Sinister smiled as he watched Spiral's dagger hit the apple. "Ms. Driver, now that the king is no more, are you able to gain access to his holdings? Not the money so much but the property?" he asked as he looked around at everyone at the table. "Ronan did have a very interesting collection of weapons that might interest Spiral."

Driver seemed ticked again as she looked at Essex and threw up her hands. "I might have been his assassin, but I was not his offspring. I can do the best I can helping Spiral with her shopping list, but I'm sure Ronan put the good china in the vault, so to speak."

"What about that lunatic friend of his?" Abaddon asked as he motioned for Alexandria to come to him with his own computer tablet. "The one with the, how did he put it? Training facilities?"

"Oh, Wolfe?" Alexandria chimed in as she looked at her employer and his guests. "Tristan is holed up in some camp in the Balkans with that decidedly nasty daughter of his. He and Ronan..."

"He and the emperor had a falling out, because of that nasty daughter, who killed one of Ronan's favorite guardsmen, in a way I do not wish to repeat in polite company," Driver added as Sinister got an odd look on his face. "Why do you look like the cat that ate the canary?"

"Because, my dears, that is where you will find the best shopping. Spiral, wouldn't trained fighters be a benefit to your army?" Sinister asked as Abaddon clapped his hands and seemed thrilled at the idea. "It might make your work a bit easier."

[Spiral]

Spiral took a bite after she lifted one of the apple slices. She began to glance at Sinister. One of her eyebrows went up due to interest after the mention of a weapon collection. ''A weapon collection? What kinds of weapons? Daggers? Swords?'' she asked. She used a dagger to file her nails.

Spiral concentrated on Sinister. ''Trained fighters will be good for my army. Hopefully they won't harm everyone, since I am more than willing to hurt others. The fighters can hurt a few enemies, but not all of them.'' Spiral began to take another bite. She chewed the apple bit for a few seconds before she swallowed. 

[Mister Sinister]

"I am not sure what exactly Ronan tucked into his armory, but I would think swords would be on his list," Sinister said to Spiral as he kept one eye on Driver. She was an odd one, and Sinister would not bet on her willingness to help. "Didn't he have that sword smith on call? The one he called Hephaestus or something? It was his nickname, not his real name."

Driver groaned audibly as Sinister mentioned Ronan's weapons master. "That little twerp? He left with Wolfe and his skanky offspring."

"Well, if you can't unlock the vault, you might need to find him if Spiral is to outfit an army," Sinister replied as he looked over at Spiral once more. "I'm sure we can help you..."

Suddenly there was a beeping sound coming from a device Sinister pulled from his pocket. A sly grin formed on his face. "Spiral, did you ever encounter The Phoenix?" he asked, sounding as if he was simply asking what time it was at the moment.

[Spiral]

''I'm not shocked about someone having swords, since they are common weapons. At least swords used to be common weapons before guns replaced them.'' Spiral smiled again. She glanced at two swords in casings. The villain began to pet one of the handles. ''I usually stick with blades and magic.''

Spiral started to glance at Sinister another time. ''Are you forgetting about my ability to teleport, Sinister? Who needs a key?'' she asked. A frown replaced her smile after she heard a beeping sound.

Spiral's eyes became wide at the mention of The Phoenix. A nasty grin formed on her face. ''I captured The Phoenix for Mojo once. That is until she fled from us. I came across her again years later. At least I managed to turn her into one of the X-Babies.''

Spiral shrugged four arms. ''A rematch sounds good to me.'' Spiral's grin stretched from ear to ear. ''The Phoenix will not flee from me another time.''  

[Mister Sinister]

"Oh, I did not forget your ability to teleport, Spiral," Sinister replied as the device in his possession continued to make an ungodly beeping noise. "It would be unfortunate, though, if you teleported into a trap and were injured. Ronan had a man named Pliskin who worked for him once, and he was a tad insane. Set booby traps all over his labs. Killed two of my better workers."

"Will you shut that damned thing off?" Driver yelled as she covered her ears. "And who or what is this Phoenix thing you are talking about? And you turned it into a child, Spiral? How on earth did you do that? Magic?"

"Oh, this alarm cannot be shut off, Ms. Driver, until we contain our prize," Sinister said with more glee than he usually seemed to muster. "I wonder if it is the force itself looking for a host or if one of the X-Men has come calling to this world? Spiral, once we get the location of the raptor, would you like to accompany me and see what has transpired? The X-Men seemed to be cornering the market on the Power Cosmic of late."

 

[Spiral]

The beeping noise continued to irritate Spiral. Her lips were firm as four hands formed fists. Spiral's head began to hurt at a snail's pace. She was tempted to rub either sides of her head. *I'm going to end that noise if it doesn't stop in another minute or so. Perhaps a blade through the device. Maybe one energy blast from a palm* she thought.

Spiral glanced at Driver. ''The Phoenix is actually a single entity. She occasionally inhabits the bodies of others. She once copied Jean Grey's body and mind after space radiation weakened the latter. The Phoenix I attacked inhabited Rachel Summers...Jean's daughter.'' Her frown remained.

''Mojo created a magic bomb that resembled Jean Grey. It was tossed at the Phoenix and her companions. Magic caused them to revert to toddlers.''

Spiral turned to Sinister and scowled. ''That noise is really irritating me!'' she said. She nodded after she heard Sinister's question. ''I can accompany you.''

Spiral used two hands to conceal her ears. She continued to wince. A thoughtful expression appeared on her face briefly.

''I'm still interested in looking for Major Domo. In case you don't remember, he is one of Mojo's androids. I never liked his habit of always kissing up to Mojo. I'm interested in tormenting Major Domo.''