nextgenerationmarvel | From The Dead (Narrative, will be followed by threads)

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From The Dead (Narrative, will be followed by threads)

It had been a delicate piece of work, feigning his own death, and even more delicate to ensure that he had the funds he needed to operate his long-term schemes while leaving the publicly-known, above-ground wealth of Shaw Industries alone, and keeping other Shaws from knowing. The financial chaos surrounding his estate provided a useful smokescreen, aided and abetted by close allies among the Shaw Industries top brass and elsewhere. But now the time had come to reemerge, to make his presence known. To let his wayward family know that Sebastian Shaw was not dead. To take the reins of the Shaw empire and shape the future.

Shinobi Shaw had been a treacherous little worm, and he needed to be eliminated. Alistaire had performed that function, though with a decided lack of finesse. Too much collateral damage. He would have to speak to the boy about that, though it was in his own interest to make sure that the incident be covered up. The boy's connections to Selene were far more problematic- Sebastian would have to determine where his loyalties truly lay and act accordingly. The Black Queen had been quiet as of late, but she was very much alive and would no doubt seek to undermine his plans once she got word of them.

Then there was the girl. Stephanie, a latterly-arrived bastard child from a fairly unremarkable liason with a Spanish woman. The girl had shown real talent, particularly for business. And she seemed to have admirably ambitious plans for a sizeable area of the city. Ones that he could support in its broad strokes, though there were many signs of excess sentimentality in its conception. Perhaps, though, it could be turned towards something genuinely useful, as long as it was remembered that the primary goal of the Club was to build a mutant elite and sustain it.

Worst of all, both of them had outed themselves as mutants, which would make things considerably more difficult. Stephanie had even gone so far as to say that he himself was a mutant, which would throw all manner of his past actions into a harsh public light if people cared to look. In his mind, they had both made a serious tactical mistake there, though perhaps it was understandable enough given the circumstances at the time. Sebastian was confidant he would be able to handle any issues relating to it.

There was potential, then, for the Shaw dynasty, but it would have to be carefully constrained and guided. The Shaw name had taken a frightful battering in the last few years and that would have to be put to rights. As for the Hellfire Club, the New York branch had faded into virtual oblivion. That would also have to be put to rights, though during his imposed exile, he had been created Lord Paramount of the international Hellfire Club, the ultimate authority of all the otherwise autonomous Hellfire Clubs around the world.

It was settled, then, that the children would have to learn how to manage affairs in their fiefdom of New York, but quickly, as Sebastian had a global empire to run and could not spare more than the necessary time. The girl could be trusted with the bulk of his interest in Shaw Industries- his men had positive reports on her skill, and Alistaire was well-known to be an excellent host. Perhaps the boy could turn his talents towards making the New York Hellfire club an essential destination for New York's elite again.

The rest of the ranks of the Club remained frightfully empty. New nobility would have to be created, possibly from the next generation of the traditional mutant elite, but possibly also previously unaffiliated individuals. Soon, Sebastian would reveal himself to the younger Shaws. And then the Hellfire Club's grand plans for the future of mutantkind could truly begin to unfold, with the Shaws at the forefront of it, just as it should be.

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Stephanie felt similarly about the appearance of vulnerability, though she had fewer hangers-on to fawn after her. Thankfully school was out of sessions, so she didn't have to worry about the annoying sympathy of any of her fellow students or professors there. Pain was still a very real and constant thing, and she refused to take painkillers for them save for the very worst attacks. Her joints were coming together, all things considered, amazingly well, but it would be a long process until she felt altogether herself.

Shaw Industries was much more her realm, so to speak, than Alistaire's, but there was something strange about Reginald's summoning and the secrecy surrounding it. It made her wonder what was going on. A large portion of funds had just been released, so things must have been proceeding well on the legal front.

"I assume you're wondering, just as I am, what is going on here."

"Naturally. I'd normally say I welcome a surprise, but this hasn't quite been the month for that."

"Indeed. Allow my return to constitute yet another unusual twist of fate." A very familiar baritone voice spoke as the doors swung open grandly to reveal, of all people, Sebastian Shaw himself, very much alive. His eyes met with each of them briefly, sizing them up. "The last month has been full of surprises, many of them bitter indeed. How ironic that the supposed dead man is in much better condition than either of his would-be heirs."

Sebastian took his seat at the head of the table, steepling his hands together. "Fortunately for both of you, I am very much alive. And ready to rebuild the family name to what it should be. In all of our fields of endeavor." While he would not deny that each of them had potential, it was clear that they needed his guidance.

"Needless to say, any discussions of the dispensation of my estate will immediately come to a halt. You are Shaws and I will see to it that your lifestyles are able to match the name, and that your pettier ambitions are well-funded- but make no mistake, the Shaw patrimony is mine."

Stephanie's steely resolve completely shattered at that, though she remained rather still. She gripped her cane so hard that the metal began to bend slightly as all colour drained from her face. She forced herself to set her expression, not really hearing the other words he was saying.

"How? I saw your body in the station. The police made me identify you." She wanted to defiantly meet his gaze, but she couldn't quite. There was a hardness in his expression that she couldn't match. She'd only known him personally for a short time, but she'd been raised with stories of him all her life. She idolized him.

When he wasn't around, she could look back and see his flaws. She moved on and became a strong and independent young woman, but how he was here, somehow and she felt like she was the girl who first arrived in New York again. Alistaire would probably handle this better, she realized, grimly, he'd known Sebastian for far longer and had more exposure to the bizarre carnival that were the Hellfire Club's machinations.

She just resolved, that she would not cry. She wouldn't give him the ... but why was she thinking that way? He was her father. She should be happy to see him again, and she was, she really was, but she knew that this would mean the end of her hitherto near-total independence.

Indeed, Alistaire isn't so much stunned and obviously surprised. He almost looks resigned, as he takes note of Stephanie's reactions. "Psychics. Prosthetics. Manipulation of emotional state. Take your pick, Auntie." He says, with as much sympathy as he can muster.

It takes him a token of effort, but he gets to his feet, leaning forward on his cane. "Grandfather... you've made my intentions of securing my father's remains feel much more justified. Pity that didn't work out." He tilts his head. "You're looking well.

"I'm sure you already know, but Stephanie has performed admirably in your absence, and I've hardly been idle." He smiles. "What have you been up to?"

Sebastian remained seated and a servant briefly came into the room to bring drink and glasses, pouring three generous glasses. Sebastian took his up and took a sip. He would have to restock the cabinets at Shaw Industries to his own preference. There was far too much Iberian wine floating about for his liking. Stephanie had made herself very comfortable here, it was clear.

"You look like you were expecting this, Alistaire. Resignation on your behalf, and numb shock on the other." He smirked coolly. "And here I thought this was worthy of celebration. The Shaw dynasty, made whole again." He regarded them both again. Alistaire's inability to feel limited his utility in some fields- he'd never be able to attain political office with that jaded facade, however useful it might be in backroom circles. Stephanie on the other hand, for all of her considerable talent in the field of business, for all the charisma she could muster, she was still green. Overly sentimental.

"I remained behind the scenes in both of your lives, while simultaneously I maneuvered myself into supreme power in the global Hellfire Club. I am the Lord Paramount of the Hellfire Club, above all of the Kings and Queens of all the local chapters."

Stephanie managed to collect herself, somehow, using reserves of will that probably came to her from that man who was sitting across from her. Part of her wanted to slap him in the face and scream at him for doing that to them. Another part of her wanted to hug him, like ... like a normal daughter would do for their father who had mysteriously returned. Right? She looked down for a moment and when she looked up, her face was a mask and she was doing her best to transport her true self far away from that meeting.

"Why now? Why come back now, and not earlier? And what happens next?" She knew that he wouldn't have come back for no reason, not simply to reunite with his children. He was cooler and more calculating than that. There had to be a reason he picked this moment.

Alistaire was more of a hard liquor and cocktail drinker himself. He'd have to invite Grandfather over for a bottle of aged scotch he'd been saving for a special occasion.

"Well, not expecting this in particular, but it's not as if there isn't precedent." Alistaire responds, shaking his head just a bit. "It was well-played." He says it calmly, although he's looking at Stephanie with some concern now. The recent events had shaken him more than he cared to admit. It wasn't that Alistaire couldn't feel, but the course of his life had given him very little reason to. He wasn't entirely comfortable with recent... instances of emotion.

"Then you won't take it personally that I've decided to lay claim to the Black King's seat for the New York branch." He adds. It would have been an insult to Viveca's work not to follow through, after all.

Sebastian leaned back for a moment taking a sip of his drink, almost as if he were threatening to laugh, but just held back. His expression was just this side of a sneer when he spoke next. "You are entitled to claim anything that you wish, regarding the Hellfire Club's New York branch. But the Club's charter is being placed in receivership. New nobility will be created after a suitable period of recruitment and expansion. Any titles that you may or may not choose to give yourselves in the meantime are subject to evaluation and final approval by the Lord Paramount."

His eyes settled back onto Stephanie again. "And yes, Stephanie, this means that you too will take your place in the Hellfire Club, as befits a Shaw." His eyes move between the two of them. "I will place you in the Inner Circle, but any promotion within those ranks will have to be earned. Among other things, I expect to see a full Inner Circle. All mutants, ideally those with either good family history or useful connections."

This time, she mustered up the courage to narrow her eyes in a glare. She'd tried for years to move past the Hellfire Club, past the idea that she had to become some prancing princess in dominatrix gear. She was comfortable in front of cameras, she was comfortable in the Shaw Industries section of the family interests. She was comfortable at the Institute, at the mutant shelter, at the properties she owned along it.

But she'd never liked the Hellfire Club, nor even the idea of it. The anachronism, the ridiculous Illuminati wet dream that it constituted. Her hopes lay in Enlightenment dreams of capitalism and democracy, in guiding opinions gently, not manipulating them through some dark cabal.

And then her eyes really met his, and she knew, she knew as a sickening lump in her stomach that she would be involved. Because there would be no way that she would be able to accomplish what she wanted, what mutants needed, without the resources of the Shaw Empire. It was a simple matter of in or out, and she didn't want to be an outcast.

"'Lord Paramount'... really Grandfather, it's just the three of us. Just say they're subject to your approval. An old man like yourself will sprain something if you spend that much time reaching around to pat yourself on the back." Alistaire keeps up his usual measure of defensive wit.

He is processing this all a bit differently. Inside is some carefully restrained outrage and offense over being manipulated thusly. His father's play had to have been put in motion by Grandfather. Which, in hindsight, made more sense. Alistaire didn't mourn the loss of the bastard, which he was in every sense of the word, but to have been used as a catspawlike that was an affront he would have to settle one day. There's also a measure of concern for Stephanie. His dear aunt's feelings about the Club were hardly kept secret; and now she was being dragged right into things...

The truly hideous part was that she would still have to do so of her own free will.

Alistaire's aunt was one of maybe a scant half dozen people on Earth that he felt some genuine affection for. He was going to have to have words with her later. Away from Grandfather.

"I have someone in mind for my Knight... but you probably already know that. I'm less certain about my Rook and Bishop, but I have my intel to review." He gets back to business. "My Lady has been notably absent the past several months... I suggest we all brace ourselves for her return. She won't take this quietly.

"Beyond that... I say it is well past time for the old Hellfire bloodlines to be brought into the new order of things. Kicking and screaming, if it comes to that."

There was an old pendulum clock to the side of the room, that ticked regularly as it swung from one side to the other. Just as Alistaire began talking, it slowly went to a stop. Sebastian turned his gaze carefully towards Alistaire. It was clear that he did not appreciate the jibe directed at him by Alistaire.

"Your wit serves you well enough as a host at parties, but you will be more respectful with me. I am your Lord Paramount, and what's more, your grandfather. We will discuss specifics of the individuals you are interested in promoting at another time. I expect that Stephanie will also have those she will want to forward for Inner Circle membership."

When Alistaire mentioned Selene, though, he got a rather unusual look on his face, as if he were threatening to grin but holding back for the good of his dear family. Somehow, that threat of a smile was infinitely worse than the real thing. "Indeed, she will not. But she will find herself in a starkly vulnerable position. Her strength lies with the Parisian Hellfire Club, to which she decamped after my disappearance. All of her allies, friends and thralls, gathered in a single chateau."

Hardwood panels in the floors rise up to reveal television screens, playing a horrific scene of slaughter, men and women in full Hellfire costume lying on the ground, riddled with bullets, suriyuken, some pinned to the wall with harpoons, beaten to a pulp.

"Powerful as Selene is, she is hardly known for her courage. With her entire base of support liquidated ... she has already requested terms of truce. I have no doubt that she will desire vengeance in the future, but she is in no position to accomplish it. That being said, I intend on granting her the truce, on generous terms.

And Alistaire? Do not ever refer to her as 'My Lady' again. If all goes well, you will be at least her equal. In any case, I will not brook any hesitation about whom you truly support."

"We're family. Alistaire didn't mean disrespect. You're his grandfather." Stephanie found herself saying, unable to completely hold her silence. That got another questioning glance that choked any further words.

And then Sebastian ... it was like he was threatening to smile and it was frightening. It was clearly him, but something had changed. Father had always been a hard and intimidating man, but this was different. He had been just as quick with a grin or his own particular brand of encouragement. She was tempted, to think, that he was being manipulated, but this determination felt so real, so steely that the thought banished itself quickly.

And then the hardwood rose and the scenes of carnage came up and it was all she could do to hold still. She forced herself to look, to remain strong, to not act completely like a scared little girl. Many of those people were probably powerful and dangerous people, supporters of Selene that could cause real problems for them. But ... many of them were also simple hangers-on, bored people looking for vicarious thrills.

Most of them were innocent of any crime past decadent curiosity. They did not deserve to die thusly.

Alistaire nods towards Stephanie as she defends him, not straying from Sebastian's gaze. He notes the stilling of the pendulum with particular attention. Grandfather's skin had thinned, it seemed. There was something... hollow.

It didn't look so much like he was holding back a smile as he was stopping himself from showing his teeth. And then the screens began to play.

Alistaire manages to hold off all but a faint twitching at the corner of one eye, as he takes the drink his grandfather had poured. He downs it in one smooth draw, before delicately wiping the corner of his mouth with a thumb. Oh Grandfather... what have you become?

"What a waste of cloth and wine..." is what he brings out of his mouth.

"I see what the shape of things are to be."

"Unfortunate, perhaps. But inevitable. Selene will understand my strength of nothing else." The pendulum begins moving again and Sebastian leans back slightly. Reginald came back as if from nowhere with packages. He looked at the carnage on the screen and looked almost as if he were viewing some strange modern painting- mild distaste without a hint of moral revulsion.

Alistaire's package included a deed to the Hellfire Club's primary New York property, as well as a promise of an exceedingly generous stipend. One of Sebastian's art collections had also been willed to him, to do as he desired with, as well as various smaller properties to be dispensed with as he pleased. It also included a custom-made Hellfire Club formal outfit, designed with Alistaire's sartorial preferences as far as the colonial styling permitted.

Stephanie's package included confirmation of her status as a board member of Shaw Industries, with a smaller stipend but a larger part of the Shaw stock portfolio. It also included deeds to numerous properties around the 11th street shelter, including relatively prime locations. Finally, it included a Hellfire Club formal outfit, cut a little more conservatively than the norm for the outfit and with the benefit of a cape.

"It's white." Stephanie noted, a safe banal comment to make. "You intend us to fill the entire Inner Circle, then?" That was quite a task, as the reputation of the Hellfire Club in mutant circles really wasn't what it was. But it did present opportunities. She could, perhaps, manipulate it into being something other than what her father intended it to be.

As for the rest of it, there was no doubting that it satisfied many of the needs she had regarding the area around the Shelter. With full access to her father's web of connections, it would make things so much easier. But it absolutely reeked of a bandaid solution- not unlike an abusive husband buying his wife flowers and chocolates after beating her. It did not pay back for all that they had gone through since he died, so much of it at his behest.

Alistaire grips the pommel of his cane as he peruses the contents of the parcel, giving the land deeds and outfit a particularly discerning eye. By all appearances, he's not taking any particular further note of his grandfather or aunt being in the room.

"Excellent cut."

"Clothes befitting Shaws." Sebastian replied smoothly, seeming to relax ever so slightly, as if he remembered that he was with family and not vassals he needed to terrorize. "As Shaws, you will live publicly and well. Indulge yourself as you wish, but with clear eyes and some discretion. I do not fault either of you your petty amusements." He took another sip of his drink and both Stephanie and Alistaire had their glasses filled.

He raised his glass in a toast. "To family. It is all we truly possess."

"To family." Stephanie managed to reply, raising her own glass in toast. He had never been a soft man, but there was a dangerously hard look in his eyes now. She wondered if perhaps he had died, and if somehow, the experience had changed him. It felt like him, but slightly changed.

She had little doubt that she would have to get involved in the Hellfire Club's grand games, but she would do her best to ensure that some good work was done along with all the inevitable Illuminati-scheming. As soon as her mind started functioning again.

Alistaire smirks. "Grandfather... I don't know any other way to live."

He joins the toast, giving Stephanie a look to signify the importance of the gesture as well. "To family."

The game is on.

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From The Dead (Narrative, will be followed by threads)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)

Re: Gathering the Children (forward dated slightly, to when Alistaire is able to move some)