Marvel: Death Dealer

Illyana arrived in the lobby to see Ororo, Jean, Laura, Psylocke, and Piotr already assembled to address the crisis. The lobby had turned into a briefing room. None of them looked particularly nervous despite the situation being grim.

“Felicia and Gwen?” Illyana asked, her gaze sweeping the assembled faces. “Any info on their status?”

“Felicia’s on her way here,” Jean answered, one hand pressed lightly to her temple as though listening to something the rest of them couldn’t hear. “Felicia said Gwen went to Brooklyn to work on a case. I can’t sense her there. Something is blocking my psionic waves in that area.”

“She isn’t dead, so don’t stress yourself,” Illyana said, one hand on her hip and the other on her chin. “Your telepathy requires your mind to be stable.”

“I know the basics, Illyana.”

“You do you. I’ll go check on Gwen.” She turned, fixing her gaze on the white-haired woman. “Miss Ororo, can I trust you to lead everyone while I’m gone?”

Ororo looked visibly startled to be singled out as a leader among them. She recovered her composure with a deep breath, then shook her head. “My powers are still suppressed. It’d be impossible to coordinate the defense of Manhattan from this room. Someone on the frontline has to take that role.”

Illyana didn’t force the issue. She turned, her eyes landing on the silent figure leaning against the far wall. “Eliza—Psylocke, will you?”

The Elizabeth she knew had her moments of leadership. Psylocke of this universe might shine in a moment of need even if she wasn’t Elizabeth Braddock trapped in someone else’s body.

“No.” The stoic ninja didn’t so much as uncross her arms. “I’m a blade, Illyana.” She closed her eyes and properly explained her thought process, “Point me at something and I’ll cut. I’m not the hand that does the pointing.”

Or not…

Illyana clicked her tongue and rounded back on Ororo. “Miss Ororo, powers or not, you’ve got the head for this. Assign teams and hand everyone a zone to defend. I’m better fit for cutting down our enemies.”

Ororo sighed, accepting the responsibility since nobody else would.

Illyana looked at her brother. “Help Miss Ororo from the frontline. You’re experienced with communications. One more thing: Don’t let the injured fight. I’ll be back soon.”

She summoned her Soulsword from the folded space and leaped. The churning disc of Limbo’s stepping-portal yawned open in her path, sending her to the red-skied hell. Another step through sent her right to Gwen’s location. When Dante decided to leave for a day, she had left a thread of her Soulsword’s aura on all of his allies. That single foresight came in clutch to sense Gwen.

Harsh white light blinded her as she emerged. She was in a warehouse under big, stadium-level lights. She blinked the dazzle away and her blood went cold.

Gwen kneeled on the ground, blood at the corner of her lips, while a black-haired woman in a dark, gothic-style suit stood over her like a vulture over a dying animal. The bright and somewhat depressed woman looked on the verge of death.

There wasn’t time to think or hesitate. Illyana crossed the distance in a quick dash and kicked the woman’s spine before she could be sensed. The impact sounded like a gunshot, and the black-haired stranger went flying into a shipping container. The steel wall of the container caved before the woman bounced off and fell to the ground.

Unless she had Dante-level durability, the attack would’ve given her a concussion.

Illyana dropped to a knee beside Gwen and gripped her shoulder, giving her a rough shake. “Oi. Spider. Get your ass up. You know how much grief I’ll catch if I let his girlfriend kick the bucket on my watch?”

Gwen coughed, and a mouthful of blood spattered the concrete. But she still managed to give a crooked grin. “Oh, relax. I was just… resting my eyes.”

Illyana was speechless. This idiot was half-dead, beaten so badly her Anti-Venom suit had run out of healing juice, yet she still had the same sharp tongue. It reminded her of herself a little too much, which wasn’t a great thing in this situation. Gwen had to live.

She reached into the pocket of folded space that was her dimensional storage and withdrew a small vial filled with crimson liquid. “Here. Rasputina patented, self-brewed: ‘Limbo is Love’ potion.”

Gwen stared at it, then at her with dead eyes. “Yana. I’ll be straight with you. I’m not into girls… I’m exclusively Dantesexual at the moment. Thanks for the save, though. I appreciate it.”

“It’s a healing potion, bonehead. Drink.”

Illyana pressed the vial to Gwen’s bloodstained lips and tipped it back carefully. The red returned to Gwen’s face in seconds. The crimson fluid acted quickly since it was mixed with her own blood. The universe probably didn’t have a richer source of magical energy than her body.

A tremor of strength returned to Gwen’s limbs, just enough to get her legs under her.

Illyana hauled her upright by the arm. “Now explain to me. How did you lose to that clown?”

“She’s Spider-Queen.” Gwen wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, her legs getting steadier by the second. “Her power is to dominate insects and arachnids, which, surprise surprise, includes me too.”

“That explains your loss.”

“Honestly, I’m kind of honored they hand-picked someone who completely counters me. Feels like I’m in the big league of superheroes.”

“You should’ve one-shotted her like me.”

Gwen shrugged. “Is everyone alright? She said the Morlocks or something will hunt all of us.”

“We’re fine, but there’s a bigger disaster waiting for us. Manhattan—”

“Shut up!” A screech echoed through the warehouse before the Spider-Queen got back up with unsteady legs. She reached out with her hands, wrenching Gwen and Illyana off their feet and into the air.

“Petty tricks.” Illyana growled, summoning her partial transformation. Her horns grew and a tail emerged behind her. More importantly, the magical energy from Limbo swelled in her, which she unleashed upon her surroundings with a growl. The Spider-Queen’s psychokinetic energy was utterly crushed.

The Spider-Queen staggered and clutched her head. Telekinesis and forcefields were powerful tools, but the backlash of someone destroying them was excruciating. She was lucky that her mind didn’t outright collapse.

Seeing an opportunity, Illyana teleported behind the Spider-Queen. The Soulsword, held in both hands, descended with fury.

The Queen barely stepped away, a second away from being cleaved in two equal halves.

Gwen, who was freed from telekinesis, attached her web-shooters to her wrists. She saw the Spider-Queen getting to her feet and fired a double web-line. The strands stuck to the Queen’s shoulders, allowing Gwen to yank herself in. Her body coiled like a loaded spring before she unloaded a slingshot kick straight into the Queen’s chest. The Spider-Queen rocketed backward and slammed into the steel security door hard enough to dent it inward.

Gwen landed in a crouch and blinked down at her own hands, flexing her fingers in disbelief. “This is ridiculous. Did I get injected with spider-roids or what?”

“It could be the side-effect of my potion.”

Gwen shook her head. “She claimed her injection will make me stronger in every way. Now I’m almost as strong as my Anti-Venom form.”

“We’ll test that later. Let’s kill this clown first.”

Spider-Queen pushed herself up, eyes blazing with fury.

“Gwendolyne Stacy, Illyana Rasputina.” Her serene, untouchable mask started to break in the face of certain defeat. She yanked the gear-hook anchoring her purple cape and threw it aside. “Two filthy, crawling PESTS. How DARE you lay hands upon the queen?”

“I’m a queen too,” Illyana said. “The Queen of Limbo.”

The Queen’s glowing eyes snapped to Illyana. “You insignificant little gnat with your parlor-trick portals—you will pay the price with your death!”

“You’re pissing me off too, bitch.”

The Spider-Queen’s face contorted. Without hesitation, she threw both hands toward and used her domination powers.

Gwen let out a pained cry and clutched her head. “N-No, not again. Stop. Get out of my body!”

Illyana didn’t let the Queen toy with her ally. She seized Gwen and dropped them into Limbo. As soon as Gwen recovered from the control, they returned to the warehouse.

This time, a portal opened on each side of the Spider-Queen.

Gwen swung out of hers and unloaded webs while spinning around the Queen. The blurring fire of silk came at her from every direction. The arrogant woman was so focused on Illyana’s portal that she couldn’t afford to try and control Gwen.

She snarled and clawed the strands apart as fast as she could, but Gwen’s trigger fingers were faster. The sticky webs slowed the Queen down. Quite a pity Gwen’s web-fluid cartridge emptied, or else she could’ve completely cocooned the Queen.

“Vermin, you will stop this at once.”

The shriek made Gwen falter, but that move cost the Spider-Queen her guard.

Illyana emerged from the portal and smacked the Soulsword on the Queen’s back. The impact flung the Queen across the warehouse like a ragdoll. Although the attack looked devastating, the Queen only bled a little. Then again, Illyana didn’t have the slightest intention to finish the Spider-Queen with this move. The attack had been done to mark her enemy with Soulsword.

Illyana swung Soulsword again and cleaved a rift open. “Come, Limbo. Take this fool.”

Black chains rushed out of the portal. The first four chains coiled around the Spider-Queen’s arms and made her kneel on the ground. The fifth and sixth chains wrapped around her throat and chest. And the seventh covered her waist.

“ARGHHH!”

The captive screamed and thrashed, but her resistance was utterly futile as the chains held her firm. These same chains had once failed to so much as slow Dante down. But this woman? She wasn’t fit to stand in the same room as him. Comparing them in strength was an insult to both of them.

When brute force failed her, the Spider-Queen did the only thing left—she hurled her will at Gwen, desperate to control her body to free herself.

“Obey your queen and break these chains at once, worm!”

Illyana snapped her fingers and a shimmering red barrier boxed the Spider-Queen, cutting off her voice and mind from influencing Gwen or anyone.

The Spider-Queen’s eyes burned with hatred as she screamed. None of her hatred reached Gwen and Illyana.

Gwen let out a shaky breath and wiped a hand down her face as the pressure vanished from her skull. She got up and regarded the furious woman trapped in the cage.

“She has insane anger issues. No wonder Steve Rogers dumped her.”

Illyana gave the Spider-Queen a look of disdain. “This is just the start, bitch. We’ll slaughter Mr. Sinister and all of his clones. Wait for him in Hell—”

“Woah, calm down. Let’s not get rid of her right away. Her mind is an abundance of knowledge. We can use that against Sinister.”

Even though the Spider-Queen had traumatized her, Gwen still thought of assisting the team.

“That’s true. I’ll dump her ass in Limbo.”

Gwen nodded and swung over to where Yuri lay slumped on a container. She took the unconscious detective up in her arms and returned to Illyana’s side. “Yuri was mind-controlled. They created this whole scenario to trap me with the Spider-Queen. Scary, right?”

“Despicable bitches,” Illyana growled, glaring at the Spider-Queen. “Cowards who drag in innocents are the worst. Why don’t you use Dante or me as bait?”

“They’re terrified of your demon powers.” Gwen chuckled. “We should leave, Yana. I’m worried about others.”

“Alright.”

Illyana opened a large portal and dragged the bound and barrier-sealed Spider-Queen into Limbo. She left her minions to watch over the Spider-Queen with strict orders to keep her unconscious.

The next stop was the lobby. Only Ororo remained there, seated behind the front desk, with a small mountain of comm devices in front of her. She calmly gave orders while listening to everyone. For someone who had insisted she couldn’t lead from the base, Ororo was doing a remarkable job.

Ororo glanced up the instant they appeared and her composure cracked at the sight of battered and bruised Gwen. “What happened to you?”

“Walked into a trap.” Gwen smiled awkwardly and laid Yuri down on the lobby couch. “The blame is on me. I should’ve been careful.”

“Less self-blame, more sitting.” Illyana held Gwen’s shoulder and pushed her firmly to sit her on the couch next to Yuri. She rested her Soulsword across her own shoulder. “Miss Ororo, tell me where you need me on the line and I’ll teleport—”

Someone knocked on the lobby door, stopping them all at once. They had put up a clear “NO VISITORS — CLOSED” sign outside.

Before they could open, the door was violently kicked open.

The perpetrator was a lean figure. He was sheathed head to toe in a sleek costume of deep purple mixed with electric magenta. A pair of glowing violet lenses glared at them. Despite his menacing appearance, Illyana could feel the person was even younger than Gwen.

“Gwen!”

He bolted across the lobby and dropped, sliding the last few feet to skid to his knees right in front of her chair.

“Gwen, you’re hurt…”

Gwen’s swollen eyes opened as she stared down at the masked boy kneeling at her feet. “Wait, is that… Miles?”