Tangled up with blue

"Mystique, huh?" asked Niki Sanders, still embarrassed about having seen her last two pieces of real clothing burn up in front of her. "What do you want? Let me guess. You want me and Jessica to blah, blah, blah, and then you want us to blah, blah, blah. Well, in that case, you're wasting your time. I ain't doing nothing else for nobody tonight no matter how much you try to make it worth my while. Right now I just want to get dressed and then go home to Mic -- Oh my God! Micah! Damn it, Jean! Emma said she was going to have someone kill Micah! I need to go home this instant!"

"Don't worry," said Jean. "I already took care of it. I called in some favors from some former co-workers of mine and had them send someone to your place to guard your son."

"But can they get there in time?" asked Niki.

"They have a jet," said Jean. "They'll get there in time. And just in case they need backup -- which they probably won't -- I had Liz call her friends at the B.P.R.D. so that they could send someone over there to help."

"But how did you do that?" asked Niki. "You don't have a phon -- Oh, right. The telepathy thing. I forgot."

"Now you're catching on," said Jean.

"Hey, don't get so chummy with Big Red over there," said Mystique to Niki. "If you knew the type of things that Jean has done, you wouldn't be so quick to talk to her the way that you do."

"I already told you that I'm not interested in joining your organization," said Niki. "Now go away."

"I can't go away," said Mystique. "I'm under orders to bring you back with me."

"And who's giving you orders this time, Mystique?" asked Jean. "Magneto?"

"No, actually nowadays me and the rest of the Sisterhood work for a different boss," said Mystique.

"And just who is this boss who so badly wants to see Niki?" asked Jean with a sarcastic tone in her voice. "God?"

"Well, that's one way of putting it," said a voice in the crowd.

Then the owner of the voice stepped into full view and Niki saw a tall brunette dressed in a black leather outfit that was decorated with green stripes and circles. On top of the woman's head was an elaborate black headdress that looked like -- Wait! Were those supposed to be antlers?

"I guess you're supposed to be God," said Jean, a sarcastic tone still in her voice.

"Well, in a sense, yes," said the tall brunette. "At least in the eyes of my worshipers. But since you're obviously a nonbeliever, I suppose you can call me Hela."