Hellfire and Damnation
"I can't go back to Xavier's even if I wanted to. I owe Emma some favours. And I want to make sure that no-one forgets to be scared of me again in a hurry. So yeah, I'm the new White King."
Following his father's death at the hands of Alphonso de la Rocha, determined to have his revenge, and make sure that his enemies don't attack his family again, Pete Wisdom quits Xavier's, and joins the Hellfire Club as their White King.
Ties directly into Lost In The Woods.
Contents
Cast
Pete Wisdom, Alison Blaire,Amanda Sefton,Nathan Dayspring,Remy LeBeau,Betsy Braddock
Selene,Sebastian Shaw,Emma Frost,Domino
Timing
A full year plot from 2005, run in conjuction with the Lost In The Woods arc.
Plot Summary
As a result of Amanda's relationship with Manuel de la Rocha, and having crossed swords with Romany during the events of Asgard and unable to strike at her, Pete or Amanda, Alphonso de la Rocha had Pete's father killed in retaliation for the spike Amanda had put in his plans for his estranged son.
When Pete discovered this, he quit Xavier's, intending to kill Alphonso. He quit partly out of moral conflict, partly so as not to bring any retribution from the Hellfire Club down on the school, and partly because he had realised how much his association with Xavier's had damaged his reputation as a frightening figure in the world of espionage and unscrupulous power brokers in which he had previously moved - a repuation on which he felt his family's safety rested, and which would only be restored is he demonstrated swiftly and conclusively that he was still willing to kill anyone that acted against him. He went to his old friend Emma Frost in secret for help and resources and she agreed on the basis that as White Queen of the Hellfire Club, she stood to gain from Alphonso's removal, especially if it was at the hands on an (ostensibly) independent party.
In the end, Pete did not kill Alphonso, although it was made to look like he had, and he used the now seemingly-permanent separation from Xavier's and the X-men to infiltrate the Hellfire Club (inter-court murder being more acceptable to them than an assault from outside), filling the vacant space as White King. The only people aware of the deception were Alison Blaire and Charles Xavier, although Domino also knew the truth, but agreed to have it hidden with a false memory.
He remained in place as White King for eight months, gathering information on the Club's illegal activities, and putting himself in a position to remove them them as a threat.
During the time he was undercover, he did manage to rescue Meggan Szardos when she was kidnapped by Patches, although at the time everyone believe that he had somehow been involved with Patches instead.
(Note to self: add some reference to events of Stalemate...)
Matters came to a head during Selene's attempt to recruit Amanda to the Hellfire Club, when Pete revealed his deception by taking Selene out of the picture permanently, using materials provided by Alison, Dr. Stephen Strange and Romany, and returned to the mansion.
Domino had been kidnapped in the intervening period, but Pete and Nathan were able to rescue her (with the help of Alison and Cain Marko) and restore her memories.
Related Links
External Links
Link to x_logs tag for that plot
If the plot has vital links in other pages ( eg. x_team, personal journals), include these here.
Trivia and Meta
Trivia
As a result of this plot, Pete came very close to a nervous breakdown and spent most of 2006 avoiding direct operational work, making an exception only for Operation: Opening Salvo, which was personal business for him, anyway.
Meta
Plotrunner: Alasdair
