[Sama in the MU] Part 4

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                They were amazed to find out I could see through the fog Storm had carefully whipped up... it was there, overlaying everything, it just didn’t matter. I stayed low and just above the waves, slicing through them, barely roiling the mist that had come up as I closed on the target boat.

                Eh? Was someone using sonar?

                The pulse was unmistakable. I looked at the young woman on the deck of the boat, who seemed to be practicing as she emitted ultrasonic pulses, and seemed to be listening to the feedback.

                -That looks very similar to Banshee’s powers,- Warren /noticed instantly.

                -And they have the same hair color. Are not Black Tom and Sean related?- Ororo also /noticed immediately.

                -Are you detected?- Piotr /contributed quickly.

                -No. The ultrasound is psionically driven. It fades as soon as it touches my Null, there’s no bounce.- I drifted forwards through the mist, very confident I couldn’t be seen.

                Footsteps. My ears were keener than a dog’s, so I heard the man before I saw him. The X-Men recognized him as soon as I saw him... Black Tom Cassidy. He could channel his bio-energy through his shillelagh into a powerful force or heat beam. I asked for examples, they supplied some from memory, and I dismissed it as a threat.

                -I am going to take them out,- I /said calmly. I shot up into the air, spun a few times, and came down right next to them in total silence.

                They both gawked at my sudden appearance, and then my hands touched the backs of their necks, voltage went out, and they went dark.

                Sticking to the backs of their necks and backs, I simply rose back up into the air, dragging both of them, and proceeded back in the direction of the X-Men. -The Juggernaut may be at the other end of the boat. I trust you can secure these two?- I did not relay the fact my hair had drawn two syringes and was getting blood samples from both of them.

                Sonic powers and a bio-blast attuned to wood. Well, four inches and all...

-------

                The Juggernaut had come up on deck by the time I returned, and was calling out for Tom in a low voice. I came down from the sky just out of reach, and he spun to face me with disconcerting lightness for his size... but with none of the explosive power of the Hulk. Colossal Might, medium Power.

                “You!” he growled, taking a step forwards, and I drifted back. “You must be Dynamo... Where’s Tom and Theresa?”

                “Black Tom is on his way to jail, which I presume you will probably break him out of soon enough,” I replied calmly. “Theresa is with the X-Men, on her way to finally see her father, Sean Cassidy.”

                He clenched his hands, but looked at me floating there over the water, while he was on a yacht already leaning from his weight. Jumping at me would be fruitless, and it was plain I wasn’t going to grapple with him. “You captured them? The X-Men are here? They didn’t come themselves?” He was sneeringly confident of his invincibility.

                “I told them I was capable of neutralizing the magical powers of the Champion of Cyttorak if required, and they decided to withdraw, being cognizant of your power.”

                “Neutralizing my powers?” The dome-helmed man seemed suddenly wary.

                “Yes. You are basically an empowered Warlock, channeling a direct stream of energy from the otherplanar entity Cyttorak who empowers you. I can cut that channel off easily, which would immediately remove your invulnerability and unstoppability, and your strength would rapidly fall as the magical reserves in your body are used up.

                “The consequences would be more painful than you are used to, and would probably involve me flying your unconscious self out to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and dumping you there, as I’m not going to sit on top of you to keep your powers Nulled.” Nor kill him, which relieved him despite himself.

                He grunted, and his hands came down; he shifted back slightly, now definitely wary. “I don’t believe you,” he got out, but his eyes said otherwise.

                “You do, but you still want proof.” I flitted forward, flipped around and over him before he could react, and clung to his back. “Try taking a step forward,” I said from behind him, as he raised his hands instinctively.

                He paused, leaned forward, and took a step towards the rail.

                I dragged him backwards without much effort. He swore quietly as his foot came down. He took another step, and I dragged him back in midstride again.

                “Right arm.” I extended my hand out as he sort of looked over, and drew my nail down his bicep. His skin broke, a crimson line drew itself across his arm, and he swore again. “If you like, I can also demonstrate the ability to inflict cursed wounds that will not heal via magic until the sun rises.

                “Or, in other words, I can rip you to pieces, and you WILL die.”

                He distinctly shivered underneath me, hearing the absolute confidence in my voice. “I think we can skip that part, sure.” We both watched as the cut on his arm slowly healed back up. “So, what do you want?”

                “I would like to have a discussion with a most unique Champion of Cyttorak.” I didn’t keep the admiration out of my voice.

                “Yeah?” He sounded doubtful. “You got a weird way of asking for an appointment, lady.”

                “A conversation between equals needs to be established as between equals, Cain Marko. Without mutual respect, it is not a conversation. And I desire to speak to the Champion of Cyttorak, not a petty mutant mercenary, or the child he has lied to.”

                “Black Tom is my friend!” he warned, despite himself.

                “And lucky he is to have you as one. Just one of the things that makes you unique among the Champions of Cyttorak.” He was getting confused again with all the compliments. After all, people didn’t compliment the Juggernaut for anything other than being a brute.

                He shuffled for a moment, confused, as I slid easily back around him and floated out in midair, out of range again. We both understood that it was more to give him a sense of security than it was for me.

                “So... you want to talk?” he asked, rather lamely.

                “If you could go down below and change into civilian clothes, we can go someplace more amenable.”

                He thought about that, and finally nodded. “Okay, I can do that. Just talking?”

                “Well, there’ll be good food, too. Do you have a preferred drink?”

                “Tom got me hooked on Guinness,” he admitted after a short pause.

                “Ah, a good brew. Go. I’ll wait.” I crossed my arms, floating there patiently.

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