Call Me When You're Ready To Finish What We Started

The message was followed by a phone number.

"Bastard," Sue Storm's eyes flashed with anger. Her humiliation twisted into rage in her gut. The mutant pig-man obviously knew how to press her buttons. This was obviously a challenge—and one that the Invisible Woman couldn't ignore.

Which didn't mean she needed to be stupid about this.

Despite the early hour, Sue Storm went to the communications console. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, to input her S.H.I.E.L.D. credentials. She had a few favors to call in.

"The number belongs to a burner phone," Maria Hill said. "Not entirely untraceable. There is something odd about it, though."

"Odd in what way?" Sue Storm asked.

"Squeaky clean. They were part of a block of numbers purchased through several intermediaries but with absolutely no criminal or international connections. That's odd. You usually find at least a couple of government functionaries or low-level criminals associated with any block of burner phones. But these? It's like the blocks that S.H.I.E.L.D. buys for their agents to use."

"So you're saying the owner is backed by an intelligence agency?" Sue said.

"Some clandestine outfit smart enough to cover their traces, but which isn't experienced enough in intel operations to know that perfectly clean records are more suspicious than if they'd let in a few smudges," Maria Hill said. "What concerns me is that whoever did this has money, influence, and knowledge. Not the type of people you want after you, Susan. You want to tell me what this is about?"

Sue chewed the thought. She needed to feed Hill something.

"I was put in a compromising situation. There are photos. They're trying to goad me into contact. That's the number. Is there any way they can know that you researched the number?"

"No chance," Hill said. "This line is secure, and my searches used our off-line databases. No internet search history. They'd have to have compromised S.H.I.E.L.D.'s databases or be looking over my shoulder. The real question is...what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to call," Sue said, and her jaw set hard. "When I'm ready."

"Mrs. Richards," Emma Frost said. "Are you quite sure about this?"

"I'm cashing in my marker," Sue confirmed as she stared at the blonde on the other side of the video screen. The X-shaped whole in the former White Queen's outfit revealed an aggressive amount of cleavage.

"If it is a mutant issue as you say," Emma said, one perfectly-sculpted eyebrow raised Vulcan-like. "You could have asked Cyclops."

"I don't need Cyclops," Sue said bitterly. "I need someone...who understands a woman's perspective. And is willing to do what needs to be done. Mutant or not."

Emma Frost's lips drew into a thin line. Sue wondered if the powerful telepath were reading her mind right now. It was always a possibility with her. One of the many reasons few trusted her. Yet right now, Sue had few people she could trust for this kind of favor.

The mutant's eyes widened slightly. Her lips formed a perfect O. A hint of color touched her cheeks. Sue Storm imagined that the scalpel-like intrusion of Emma Frost had either touched the raw wound of last night's little debacle—or else Emma was a very good actor.

"I'll do it," Emma said. "But Sue...I see what you're planning. This is damned dangerous. You don't know who exactly you're dealing with, or who's backing this Porkum. You'll be playing right into their hands."

"Maybe," Sue acknowledged. "But there is a backup plan."

Agatha Harkness cast a handful of something into the brazier. Spices, incense, herbs, Sue Storm wasn't sure which. They sat in the living room, while Alicia Masters watched Franklin and Valeria back in Salen. Sue admired the easy grace of the older woman, who had shed a few decades in her appearance—there was black in her hair, and the bosom beneath the violet dress was fuller and higher than the last time Sue had seen her. The witch had set up the black cast iron tripod that held the little orange flame—which now flared and turned blue.

A skull hovered there, shrouded in the flames. Agatha's eyes were closed to mere slits, her hand extended in a strange gesture as she maintained the communication.

"Who calls?"

The voice shivered down the Invisible Woman's spine. The hairs stood up on her neck and arms. She had faced down self-declared gods of space and time, yet that voice seemed to reach straight to the part of her brain that was a small, scared mammal living in a cave.

Sue told him. Not all of it, but enough.

"...if the plan doesn't work," the Invisible Woman finished.

"Vengeance," the skull spoke the word. Then it vanished. The flame doused itself immediately. Agatha Harkness lowered her hand and opened her eyes.

"Did you hear any of that?" Sue asked.

"Yes," Agatha said. "I can't say I approve of this course of action. If you fail..."

Sue's nostrils flared. She glanced at the smoking brazier. "Then Porkum will have a lot more to deal with than he bargained for."

It was night by the time Sue Storm's preparations were complete. She took a deep breath counted to three, and let it out again. Then she picked up her phone and dialed the number.

"Alright, Porkie," Sue said, when she heard the heavy breathing on the other end of the line. "Let's finish this."