Walking through the mansion, The Corruptor thought of what fun he might have as the grunts and moans of Storm and Gambit's eager fucking faded off with each step. A place such as this had so many options to choose from. That wasn't even counting heroic and villainous visitors who might stop for a visit. He could have his way with that wonderfully bitchy Emma Frost, or toy with the young and peppy Jubilee, or...

 

A flash of green hair caught The Corruptor's eye, a verdant sign telling him immediately who the woman was who cut him off. True enough, she wasn't his first pick of who to ruin next. She wasn't a household name. She lacked any real power compared to the others he sought. She wasn't even all that hot compared to her peers, lacking the huge bouncy tits, thick ass or sleek and simple muscle tone of hotter mutants. He could work with it nonetheless. As an appetizer.

 

With a snap of his fingers, he called out, "Hey, snothead or whatever your name is. I have a question."

 

The woman immediately turned, green electric rage clearly crackling in her eyes. "My NAME is Lorna Dane. Polaris if we're in a fight. Think you can remember?"

 

The Corruptor shrugged. "Doubt it. It's real easy for me to forget the names of losers like you."

 

That really seemed to set her off. Exactly the response he wanted. Gnashing her teeth, she glared hate daggers while energy surrounded around her body. "I thought you said you had a question."

 

"Oh, I do. Why are you here?"

 

"If you must know, I'm a member of the X-"

 

"No." He cut her off, adding yet more insult to his many verbal injuries. Her evolving outrage made it all the sweeter. "I mean why are you ALLOWED to be here? Are you a charity case? Does everyone feel sorry for you?"

 

That did it. From nearby rooms, Polaris gathered bits of metal, aiming them squarely at The Corruptor's head. "Does this look like a charity case to you?"

 

Truthfully, if he didn't know himself, The Corruptor might have trembled at the sight like most ordinary humans would. That was long ago. With so much experience under his belt, he knew how swiftly he could tear down her resistance, and how important it was to look and act firm in the face of it. As such, he did what few would have thought to do: he laughed. "Yes it does. Look how pathetic you are. All you can do is move tiny pieces of metal around. As far as powers go, yours is pretty lame... but I think you knew that. Why else would you act so insecure when I call you out?"

 

It may have taken a little longer to get his latest toy this far compared to his last two conquests, but her suddenly dropping her arm and bits of metal showed progress. The Corruptor smirked. "What's wrong? Shocked that I could see through your bluff?"

 

"I... I don't..."

 

"Don't be. Not only do you suck, you KNOW you suck. It's why you feel so uncomfortable with your body."

 

Polaris gawked at him, stunned. "How did you know? Doc Samson told me our session was private!"

 

Good. Very good. She was so wrapped up in his web of corruption, she no longer bothered to question why a man who knew something so personal had acted minutes ago like he didn't know her name. "I know a lot of things about you. It's why I know you're a loser."

 

"I'm not! I'm not!"

 

"Yes you are. Let's look at the facts. Ever since you joined the X-Men, everyone and their mom's turned you into their puppet and nobody gave a shit. You weren't even a person to them when Malice possessed you, all they saw was an excuse to put you in your place. And don't forget Zaladane. She walked all over you, made you like it, and everyone else figured you weren't worth the trouble of saving."

 

"But I"

 

The Corruptor threw up his hand, forcing a pause. "I'm not done yet. Why do you think they won't let you join the real X-Men? Why do you think you keep ending up in shitty teams with the rest of the dregs? You're not just bad, you're really bad. Even when you get your own team like at Serval, all you do is fail. It's a wonder they didn't boot your ass out long ago."

 

After minutes of this, silence from The Corruptor brought nothing. No defenses or scrambling for excuses out of Lorna, just pure acceptance. He'd hit the sweet spot. Time to bring it home. "Wait. I think I understand now. I think I know why they let you stay."

 

At that, Lorna's eyes lit up with a smidge of hope. "You do? Tell me!"

 

"It's really quite simple. You're such a loser, you make everyone else around you feel better because at least they aren't you. Every single person here, no matter how young or inexperienced, is your better. There's no better morale booster than knowing at least they'll never be as bad as Lorna Dane."

 

The whole rationale was insulting. Offensive. Downright mean. Which was why Polaris gave a nice heavy sigh of relief and joy. "Oh thank you. I've been looking for my purpose for so long. I had no idea it was right in front of me this whole time."

 

"See? Was that so bad? One little talk and you finally have your whole life figured out. Now go. Show everyone how thankful you are to be here by being the best loser and kiss ass you can be. I hear Ororo's in need of some emergency worship. You may also want to speak with Professor X about getting reassigned now that he doesn't have to coddle you with respect you don't deserve."

 

So she left, and The Corruptor had another notch in his belt and a strong itch that needed scratching.