Once again the Red Queen had returned to her castle. Syn had been away for far too long. Sanctuary was her true home, and had been ever since she first stepped passed its golden doors. This is where she felt safest and most comfortable, and now she was back. She needed to find out what had been happened during her absence and so began searching the structure for anyone from The Order.

Shade traced his chains of woe with his blade as he sat, disinterested in the foyer of the Sanctuary. The motion had become something of a bad habit. He frowned at the patterns. He wished he could rip the tattoos apart as easily as he used to rip out the throats of his victims. However, he could not. The five tattoos that wrapped around his left forearm were now his rules. They had been imposed on him by Cold Steel in exchange for his freedom from the Mansion's dungeons. Rules, that if now followed, would lead to his instant death.

"Thy shall not betray." Shade thought tracing the first chain. The technicalities of his rules were long and drawn out as Cold Steel had tried to cover all the loop holes. Shade had, instead, shortened them into commandments for memory purposes. The first rule forbid him to ever betray Cold Steel or the X-men. It was a simple rule, yet complex in action.

"Thy shall not spy." The second command forbid him to discuss any plans that he might overhear from the X-men.

"Thy shall not kill." The blade traced over a scar that torn through the third tattoo. The cut had been self-afflicted. In frustration, Shade had tried to obliterate the tattoo. The third commandment had destroyed his ability to murder. And what good was an assassin who could not kill?

"Thy shall reply." He grimaced as he traced the fourth command. It was the most annoying of Cold Steel's rules. All times of day, Shade had to report into Cold Steel. Also, he was supposed to report the actions of the Order. Luckily, the Order seemed to have gone underground so there had been relatively little news to report.

"Thy shall protect." The rule that bond Shade to Cold Steel. He was to be his shadow, his protector, his angel of death to strike against his foes when released. He was in every sense a slave to his word. He was trapped.

It was the sound of the golden doors opening that broke his trance. Shade expected another homeless, street mutant, begging for a slice of bread to enter. However, his eyes fell upon a more delicious target. Slightly stunned by her appearance, Shade's face curled into its natural, twisty grin; the blade in his hand disappeared into smoke. Even if he had to play a an X-man's pet, Shade could not help but feel joyful at the dark queen's return, even though his new nagging conscience informed him that he would have to inform Cold Steel about it.

A familiar figure caught Syn’s emerald gaze. Only one person had a smile like that. It was a sinister grimace sewn with malice to the twisted face of one who enjoys striking from the dark. A spy with a wicked streak for blood.

This could be a good start to finding out what had been happening recently. “Greetings Shade. How goes things?”

Their eyes met: the shadow walker and the seductive mistress. Shade's smile was not returned though. Instead, the dark queen left her face emotionless, leaving Shade without a hint of her true intentions. His suspension welled inside him. Was she suspect of him? Did she know of his hidden oath? How could she? Shade pushed the thought away, rising from his seat while maintaining his half-cocked grin.

  - “Greetings Shade. How goes things?”

He frowned at her question. Gesturing around himself, Shade surveyed the Foyer. It was obvious that it had seen better days. The hall was a sad reflection of its past glory. Homeless mutants slept curled in rugged armchairs, their leather faded and torn. Over the previous year, dust and cobwebs had moved into the corners. The marble floor no longer held a shine. Shade was rather surprised a desperate mutant had not tried to steal the golden doors, yet. All in all, the entire hall was in desperate need of a restoration.

"It has been rough. The Ord-" Shade stopped himself. His gaze shifted to the homeless mutants sleeping around them. The Sanctuary had been attracting the worst off the streets, lately. And after all, how good was a spy if he let slip all his information? 

"I'll just say that our resources have been scarce lately. If you wish to speak about the details, I think we should move to a more secure area. I managed to protect most of our private facilities. And, of course, your room has remained untouched." He said. The memory of Shade's last visit to the dark queen's quarters flared in his mind. It had kept the shadow theft from ever entering her threshold, again.

(OOC: I hope I am not overstepping things by assuming the Sanctuary is rather rundown. There has just been almost no activity on the Sanctuary boards in a tear. I will changes things if this does not jive well with others/ admins.)

Giving a brief description of events the shadow man’s words saddened Syn. How could Sanctuary have become so lost and forgotten? This would not do, not at all and especially not since Syn was back. The Sanctuary needed to be straightened up and shine as a beacon to mutants once again.

For now though, she needed to find out what other information Shade had. Nodding in acceptance to his suggestion of talking elsewhere the dark woman started heading for the War Room. There they could speak openly without worry of being heard by those who were not privy.

Once in the secure room Syn sat in her old seat and propped her boot covered feet up on the table with a slightly heavy thud. “Alright, tell me everything. Where are the other Order members? Why has this place been allowed to fall into such disarray?

Syn heeded Shade's warning of listening ears in the Foyer and led them down to the bowels of the Sanctuary, places hidden beneath the mutant refuge that led its darkest secrets. Following the clunking of Syn's boot heels, Shade could not help but feel like a lowly crony, except now he was answering to two masters: the Order leadership and Cold Steel. At least, he was not having to take orders from that Adapted. She had miraculously disappeared. Shade hoped for good.

As they entered the War Room, Syn took her respected place as Shade secured the room. Once they were locked inside, the shadow mutant moved to join Syn. As he moved across the room, Shade's figure faded in and out, the dark room only lit by the soft glow of computer monitors. He took a seat near the dark mistress, only half of his body visible. Syn wanted to know everything. Shade suppressed a half-hearted laugh. He wished he could tell her everything, but he would kill himself before the second word left his lips. However, he could update her on the situation with the Sanctuary.

"The Order? It's nothing but a shell of its former self. Our members are scattered. I have seen Isabel still patrolling the halls every once in a while. Besides that..." Shade let his voice trail off. He didn't really have an answer for Lady Syn since the others had seemed to disappear.

"Without the heavy hand of the Order backing the Sanctuary, people forget that they need to fear us. Our reach reaches only a few blocks around the Sanctuary. Without sufficient backing, the Sanctuary is barely more than a home for the homeless now." The shadow mutant replied with a shrug. They could not keep up all the services without funding.

Shade’s words were disappointing to say the least. Everyone had left minus an occasional Isabel appearance? At least she was still around, but Syn couldn’t believe the Order had seemingly disbanded for whatever reason. “Did that adapted have anything to do with any of this? Where is she anyway?”

The thought that perhaps Lenna had anything to do with the current condition of things sparked a raging fire within the dark lady. Then again, maybe she had been killed and no one stepped up to take charge. All kinds of possibilities swam through Syn’s mind. “This current state of affairs simply will not do my dear shadow man. We must refurbish and recruit in order to remind people of who we are.”

Thinking a moment Syn gave Shade a rather serious look. “What have you been doing during all of this?”

That Adapted! Lenna! If Shade could kill someone, he wished it would be her, but at last, the shadow assassin was without his greatest weapon. The mention of her did sent a scowl across his mouth. The mere memory of her nullification field brought a bitter taste to his mouth. It made him want to spit.

No, I don't think so. And hopefully, she is dead." Shade replied, if only they could be that lucky. Maybe they should arrange for her death, if ever that blonde abomination showed her face in the Sanctuary, again. Adapted and mutants were not meant to be friends or colleagues. They were mortal enemies. They were meant to kill each other.

- “This current state of affairs simply will not do my dear shadow man. We must refurbish and recruit in order to remind people of who we are.”

While the dark queen was correct in that their present situation was unacceptable, Shade, always the optimist, believed that their current situation could be used to their advantage. The public was a quick forgetting creature. They had forgotten who used to rule the underworld of the city. Maybe, it was for the best that they had forgotten. If people thought that the Order was not longer a threat, why remind them?

"M'lady, I agree that things are not optimal. Perhaps it is better that we are out of the spot light. Being invisible gives us a lot more room to maneuver. More room than we have had since the Haywire incident."

- “What have you been doing during all of this?”

If the Lady Syn was trying to make Shade uncomfortable, she certainly asked the right question. Immediately, Shade's newly found conscience flared, warning him of all the wrong answers to her question. He shrugged away the feeling. It was not he couldn't lie, still.

"Watching from the shadows, as usual." Shade replied, cracking a half grin.

A nod agreed with Shade’s statement regarding the demise of the Adapted. However, she was more intrigued at his second reply. While Syn was a prideful mutant and wanted Sanctuary and The Order to rise up like the days of old, perhaps Shade had a point. At least for now. While in their weakened state it probably would be best to keep under the radar.

“I believe you are correct Shade. It would be best if we remain out of view while we rebuild. We need more mutants to join us, or to bring Order members back into the fold. While we look for possible recruits we will begin building our finances as well as gathering other support.”

Pondering what they will need to do to gain back their power base, Syn had quick thoughts of convincing influential people to back them. Whether it was with money, man power, transportation or even weapons it all would be used for their cause. The Order would become a powerful force again.

Thoughts now focused on possible threats. With this new topic in mind emerald eyes refocused on the hooded face of Shade. “What have the X-Men been doing, and what about the humans police force? Have you been spying and keeping tabs while watching from the shadows? Report their standings.”

- Report their standings.

Shade gulped. He didn't want to report their standings. He didn't even want to think about speaking of X-men deeds. The thought scared him. He could already feel the blade of fire piercing his fleeting heart. He should have had something ready, something prepared with Cold Steel. Shade had known that this day was going to happen. Why had he not prepared something? He searched for answers with his eyes, his hood fluttering ever so slightly. He had to say something, anything.

"Well..." Shade said, pausing as if for dramatic effect. Instead, he was scrambling for words. He drew his hand to chin and flashed a grin at Syn to hide his weakness. "Police presence have been almost non-existent, since the Order has been quiet. I guess they feel they are no longer needed around here. However, I did run into some humans trying to sneak into the Sanctuary the other day. They might have been working with the cops, but I doubt that. Either way, they will not be bothering us again. As for the little X-ies-"

A flare of pain shot through his chest. The very thought of speaking about it nearly drove his conscience to kill him. Shade froze, his face struggling to maintain its composure. A bead of sweat drizzled down his forehead, hopefully unseen in the shadowy light of the room.

"-I can't say that I've heard too much from them." Shade finished with a smile. He wanted to cough. He wanted to groan. He wanted to do anything to release the after burn residing in his throat, but he knew Syn had a watchful eye. He didn't dare to reveal too much.

Something was off. There was a hesitation and slight shiftiness coming from the man of shadows. Syn had always been great at picking up things from people whether it was a change in their tone or a shift in posture. She could read people. It had started when she was younger as a cheerleader at her high school. She learned how to manipulate with gestures of her own and then watch the results. Now she used this skill anytime she spoke with someone. It had almost become like a passive ability that was always present. At times it had helped Syn make decisions when dealing with humans or other mutants.

The hesitation and slight shifts coming from Shade were telling the dark queen something was not right. Her influence began filling the room while she paused for a moment taking in the bit of information given. It was good that the police had lessened their presence. That would give them more freedom to move. As for what he had said in regards to the X-Men he might’ve been telling the truth. Though Syn honestly pictured there being news reports of them doing good deeds around the city and who knows where else.

Her eyes scanned the surface of the meeting table for a moment before raising back up to Shade. Her tone remained calm but one could tell she was thinking. “Soo…the reduced police in the area is good. We won’t have to worry as much about drawing attention as we’ve agreed on working unseen.” Syn smiled deviously at that statement. A gesture to keep Shade focused on the topic.

Then her tone dropped a note or two while remaining calm. It was like poisoned honey if it had a form. Remaining sweet to hide its true intension. Syn’s left index finger traced the edge of the table, but her gaze never leaving Shade’s form. “I have an itching feeling that you’re not telling me as much about the X-Men as you could be doing my dear Shade. They’re the good guys. They must be out doing good things almost daily which means news coverage or at the very least word of mouth amongst the populace. Knowing you I find it very hard to believe you haven’t heard or seen much of their activity. Also knowing your sneakiness I would have thought you would’ve made at least one or two trips by their mansion to see what was going on. You are the spying type. Now, tell me what the X-Men have been up to.”

While Shade's throat was on fire, his skin was crawling. He wanted nothing more than to run into a shadow and disappear, but he had to stand his ground. Otherwise, Syn would know for sure that something was wrong. Shade did not like the way that Syn was calming examining the War Room table. To Shade, it looked like she was thinking of a great place to remove Shade's intestines. However, he felt relief when she spoke about the police. Actually, he felt more than relief. He felt pleasure. Why had he been scared of Syn's presence earlier? In fact, he wanted nothing more than to stay in here with the Dark Queen.

However, she then switched to the topic of the X-men again. Shade knew he was busted. Suddenly, there were two voices in his head, fighting for dominance. Shade wanted nothing more than to please Syn. He wanted to give her everything on the X-men. But his damned conscience flared inside him. It promised death to him if he spoke a word. Spoke a word! That is what Shade had promised. The thought struck him like a lightning bolt. He could not speak about the X-men, but he had never promised that he could not write anything. Shade just had to make sure that he was not "betraying" them in anyway. A genuine smile replaced the fake one that had been forced on his face. He was safe, for now, and he had his answer.

"Ah Syn, you caught me." Shade said, leaning towards her. Why had he wanted to kill her before? Now, all he wanted was to please her. "You see, I have been working on a little something, but it is not exactly finished yet. Give me a little time, and I will bring it to you. I promise that it will have all the information you require."

He kept it vague. Shade was walking a knife edge after all. He only hoped that it would satisfy Syn for now.

Continually reading the shadow assassins movements, tones and words Syn paid attention to all the little messages being spoken and unspoken. Her posture remained stern for a few moments while Shade spoke. She could still tell he was hiding something yet she let him explain himself, but hearing him say she’ll get the information she wants gave her a good feeling.

Without warning the dark woman smiled brightly and her posture changed to one of happiness and cheer. Her tone also raised up to a more pleasant one. “Wonderful! I’m so glad you’ve kept on doing your homework my dear Shade. I eagerly look forward to our next little chat.”

Syn stood up and walked to the door of the War Room. As she stepped through it she turned back to Shade briefly and gave a Cheshire Cat like smile before the door closed behind her.

The tension was thicker than London fog. Shade could almost see Syn's mind at work, although her face never changed. The longer that Syn remained unmoved, the more Shade wanted to run. He palms were sweating in his hoodie, and he wanted more than anything to draw a blade for protection. But something stayed his hand. Something kept Shade more interested in Syn than her actions. A breath away from bolting for the door, Syn broke into a glamorous smile.

- “Wonderful! I’m so glad you’ve kept on doing your homework my dear Shade. I eagerly look forward to our next little chat.”

It took all of his effort for Shade not to breath a huge sigh of relief. In its replace, Shade grinned and gave a small nod. He remained seated. The shadow mutant did not entirely trust his legs to not run away. As she departed, Syn turned back towards Shade, flashing with a wicked smile.

"Me too." Shade replied as the door swung shut. The shadow mutant waited a few tense seconds to ensure the dark mistress had indeed left before he heaved a huge sigh of relief. Shade was amazed to see that his hands were actually shaking. He had not been this nervous since his first kill. Afraid that someone might see him in this shape, Shade moved into the shadows. He had escaped by the skin of his teeth, and he was happy to be alive. A sharp pain in his gut reminded him of his bonds.

Yeah, he had better report the meeting to Cold Steel.