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Disclaimer: Not mine, Marvel’s.


Storm tried to focus, her head reeling from the amount of alcohol she had consumed. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she told herself. She wrapped her robe around her body, knotting the belt while keeping an eye on the Wolverine figure moving towards her. She flung her bedside lamp at his head, wincing as it struck, breaking but not deterring him from coming towards her. She knew without doubt that this thing was not Logan. Whatever it was simply looked like him.
Another scream tore through the night, and the shadows on the wall hissed with pleasure. Goddess! They had infested the mansion!
Storm lunged for the door but was struck from behind, hands wrapping around her waist, driving her to the floor. She grunted with the solid impact against the floorboards. She tasted blood and knew her mouth was split open, but she also knew she had no time to dwell on such a superficial injury. She tried to roll away, but the mock-Wolverine held her down, one of its severely cold hands sliding under her robe, along her thigh causing her to cry out in rage and fear.
“Sat-ne a’nekh.” It repeated, its tainted breath making her gag. She managed to roll so that she was now facing the creature, her knee raising, driving into where there should have been tender organs, only to hit nothing so vital.
There was the sound of bones crunching and Ororo watched in morbid fascination as the shadowed figure bulged and cracked, its features shifting into those of a reptilian humanoid, its forked tongue flicking out of its fanged mouth. “You will not be the end of usss, mortal witch. We will use you to bring usss our triumph!” Inky black tentacles exploded from its chest.

Harry’s

The group of male X-men were standing outside the bar, winding down from their brief skirmish with the four burly men that thought to teach Gambit a lesson when Logan’s head shot up. He sniffed the air, but caught nothing unusual.
“What is it?” Gambit asked catching the movement.
“Don’t know. Something just don’t feel right.”
“Paranoid much?” Bobby laughed drunkenly.
Before Wolverine could respond Scott dropped to his knees, hands on his head screaming, “Jean!!” He grabbed Wolverine’s arm, panting, “They’re at the mansion.”
Logan didn’t need to ask what Scott meant, he knew. “What the fuck are we waiting for!” He demanded racing for their Hummer.

Xavier Institute

The tentacles were squeezing her, one slithering its way around her neck. The disjointed figure straddling her was smiling, its movement jolty, the flesh of its face peeled back, revealing long fangs, dripping saliva. Or at least she hoped it was saliva.
Ororo tried to summon wind from the open windows to blow the creature off of her. Nothing happened.
“Foolish, witch, do you not remember how easy it is for me to block your pathetic mutant powers. I am Adramalech, an ancient! One of the Ageless! You can not fight me!”
Ororo stiffened. She knew that voice, it was the dark figure that had lead her and Gambit into the ambush set up by Sabertooth and Mystique. On a subconscious level she knew that this was the demon responsible for everything, and was probably the most powerful Daemonite sorcerer she would face.
“I have learned a trick or two,” Ororo grunted, she focused on an image in her mind then shouted, “Khet!” {Fire!} Instantly flames shot up over the monster holding her down, he fell away screeching. Just as she thought, they could block her mutant powers, but not her sorceress ones.
Rising Ororo said, “My pathetic powers just turned your face into charcoal.”
“Bitch.” Once again Adramalech stood, tentacles flying from his fingertips. Storm struggled against the unyielding force of the dark feelers wrapping around her. Their oily scales cold and clammy around her throat, smaller feelers branching off imbedding in her skin, liquefying and spreading throughout her bloodstream. Her mouth opened in a silent scream of agony, the feeling of these things writhing under her skin was excruciating. With sudden terrifying realization Ororo knew that the X-men had been right and wrong all a the same time.
The Daemonites wanted her to open the portal, yes, but they didn‘t want her to do it on her own, they wanted to posses her. They wanted to control her. She fell to her knees, struggling against the feeling that her body was being eating alive from the inside out. Dimly she was aware of her bedroom door bursting open and Betsy Braddock leaping forward, driving her psi-blade into Ororo’s skull.
The Daemonite recoiled, pulling his feelers from Ororo’s body. “Sorry about that, Storm,” Betsy said pulling her to her feet.
“Not a problem.” Storm responded. She glared across the room, eyes glowing white. Betsy’s blade effectively severed any control the Daemonite had over her powers. “I suggest you back up,” she said to Betsy. The air crackled with electricity.
“They’re everywhere!” Kitty was screaming, phasing through the floor. Betsy grabbed her hand saying, “Take us out!” Giving Storm the opening she needed as they disappeared again.
The Daemonite looked taken aback, but before she could strike he shrank away from her, absorbed by the shadows.

“Oh my stars and garters!” Beast exclaimed as the Institute came into view. The men all rushed from the vehicle, Wolverine leading the way.
It was a scene straight out of an H.P. Lovecraft story. Winged reptilian creatures were swooping overhead, living shadows crawling along the ground, making their way up the sides of the mansion, several students were racing around frantically and several others were lying, unmoving on the ground. Overhead dark clouds swirled, and thunder growled like a living entity.
From the dark caldron overhead a bolt of lightening flashed, slamming into the Institute through Storm’s loft. Heavy rain fell.
“Scott!” Jean screamed, racing from the front doors and throwing herself into his arms. “We have to get the students to the Danger Room!”
“Why the Danger Room?”
“Storm thinks that would be the safest place. It’s run by a generator, so all the lights can be kept on. No shadows. And the doors can be sealed.”
“Where is she Jeannie?” Wolverine demanded, claws extended.
Jean pointed to the flaming top of the Institute. From the hole punched in her room Ororo had flown up into the sky, deciding to bring the battle outdoors, leading the Daemonites away from the children.
“You want me,” she had taunted. “Come and get me.”
Wolverine looked up, spotting her instantly, her white hair flying around her head. He heard her over the roar of the wind, calling forth the elements that were hers alone to control, her voice pure and true. He ran towards the mansion at preternatural speed, teeth bared, slicing through anything that stepped in his path.
Wolverine looked up, his senses on full alert, as a winged creature plunged from the sky plowing into him, driving him to the ground. Large talons sinking into his ribcage.
“We meet again.”
Wolverine was on his feet in half a second, growling low and deep.
“The name’s Kerrok, if you don’t remember.”
Wolverine wasted no time on words, instead lunging, crouching low, swinging up and slicing Kerrok open from stem to stern. The monstrous creature opened its mouth disbelieving, releasing a stream of black liquid from its scaly lips. Wolverine growled, “Yer in my way,” kicking the Daemon soldier aside. Nothing was going to keep him from ‘Ro.
As if sensing his presence Ororo looked down at him from her position in the air. “No!” she ordered, lowering herself to stand in front of him, every inch the commanding Storm. “Help Jean and Cyclops get the children to safety!”
“I ain’t leavin’ ya, ‘Ro!” He hollered back.
She stepped towards him, opening her mouth to say something else when a black tentacle snapped out of the shadows, pulling Wolverine away from her, choking him.
“Wolverine!” her eyes flashed. She needn’t have worried. He sliced through the thin strip around his neck before his name was completely out of her mouth.
He smirked. “Worried?”
“No.” she lied. He reached her side, pulling her against him, kissing her. She kissed him back. They stood that way for a long minute, chaos and destruction all around them, but they were together and that was all that mattered.
“Love ya,” he said.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“Storm, Warren is down!” Came Psylock’s cry, breaking them apart.
“I can’t find Peter!” She heard Kitty scream.
*Jean!* Storm mentally called, trying to focus despite the screaming.
*Here.*
*How are you fairing?*
*Not good, Storm. There are so many of them!*
*The children?*
*Sealing the doors now!*
Storm took a look around, heart heavy. The entire mansion was crawling with living shadows, every member of the X-men engaged in battle with warriors and sorcerers from hell, fighting hard, but they were losing. Storm wanted to scream in frustration. She should have seen this coming, should have been more prepared. But for some reason it never occurred to her that the Daemonites would strike here, at their home. After all, they had tried to lure her away from it more than once. Her oversight was costing people their lives and I tore at her heart.
“Not your fault, darlin’.” Logan said, reading her like a book.
“Oh, but it isss her fault.” A familiar, icy voice said. Adramalech’s dark form appeared from the shadows on the ground, directly underneath Wolverine, his scaly hands capturing Wolverine around the throat.
“Let him go!” She demanded. Images from her Phoenix dream flashed through her mind. No! Oh, please, no!
“I don’t think so, sa-ne a’nekh. How much does he mean to you?” Long fingers stretched, digging into flesh, crimson streaks sliding down Wolverine’s skin. Wolverine convulsed, his mouth opened as he roared. Storm saw small leach like organisms crawling over and under his skin.
“Let. Him. Go.” She stepped forward, the Daemonite’s grip tightened. His other clawed hand made it’s way to the opening of Wolverine’s shirt, directly over his heart. Storm tensed.
“It beats so strong, sssooo steady. For you.”
Storm screamed as the tips of the demon’s fingers sunk into Wolverine’s chest “Kitty!!!!” Her voice echoed.
“On it!” Kitty appeared from behind the demon, hands closing on Wolverine’s arm, phasing him out of the demon’s grasp, down through the ground.
Once Logan was safely away Storm smiled. Actually smiled at Adramalech, her eyes glowing white in the dark. “Make peace with your Gods, little man!!!” Ororo’s voice was like living thunder, lightening discharging from her hands, striking the Daemonite directly in the chest, sending him soaring through the air. Before the creature had even hit the ground Ororo’s eyes flashed, then swirled, their milky whites swirling in her rage.
“Yesss,” Adramalech hissed. “Feel your hate, feel your rage…become like usss.”
Storm drew back. “No! I am nothing like you, worm!” She called forth subzero winds, sending them howling around Adramalech. “I am an X-Man!”
Andamalech wailed in the cold. Storm was relentless.
*Jean!*
*Yes, Storm?*
*Logan?*
*Wounded, but fighting. We’re behind the mansion now. Surrounded.*
*Take care of him, Jean.*
Storm breathed a deep sigh of relief that Wolverine was alive, she had been uncertain as to what those leaches could do. Her relief was short lived as Andamalech let loose a string of chanted words that propelled her forward until she was in his grasp, his black eyes glaring down at her. “Feeeeeel.” He pressed the palm of his ice covered hand to her forehead. “Sssseeeee.”
Storm fell to the ground on all fours with a hoarse cry. The screams and cries of her fellow X-Men echoing all around her as the seemingly endless swarm of shadow demons attacked. They were losing, she knew. The X-Men were going to fall. In that moment as Andamalech held her she had seen and felt everything the Daemonites had done and were going to do. Everything. And she knew…she knew how it all would end. “Forgive me,” she whispered, eyes filling black.





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