psinex@yahoo.com Fires of Tomorrow Chapter 0 of 60 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's, except for Aidan, Deanna and Danny, who're mine. Please don't sue. NOTES: Yes, 60. That wasn't a typo. I've got a definitive plan in place, and there's no turning back ... -------------------------------------------------------- X-Mansion War Room: 12/16/2003: 08:00 hrs EST: -------------------------------------------------------- The guests filed in, taking seats around the holodisplay-equipped table, their faces grim or pensive as Xavier moved his hoverchair to the "head" of the circular table. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Xavier nodded. "I don't think we need to state why we're here, but we do need to have some introductions for those of us who are new. I am Professor Charles Xavier, founder and mentor of the X-Men." "I'm Scott Summers, Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men Blue Team," Scott nodded from at Xavier's right side. "And I, Ororo Munroe, Storm - leader of the X-Men Gold Team," Ororo added at Xavier's left. "Captain America," Steve Rogers nodded from beneath his mask, blue eyes focused upon the hologram of their quarry at the center of the table. "Professor Reed Richards," Reed said, sitting across from Cap and looking at his right with a faint smile. "Franklin Richards and - er, Aidan," Frank said sheepishly, holding his day-old son to his shoulder. The adults smiled as Aidan squeaked, looking around with green eyes and trying to see who all the big people were. "Couldn't get him to sleep ?" Paige Starsmore teased from beside Frank. "Ray was up at 3 a.m. with him, so I thought I'd help out. He's my responsibility too," Frank muttered. He sighed and said, "Sorry ... it's just been a rough couple of days." "Oh, ah 'member when Mama was up f'r hours with th' twins," Sam chuckled at Paige's right. His face darkened, and he added, "An' now Naomi ain't wakin' up ..." Paige squeezed his hand, and nodded at the black-and-red-armored man beside Sam. "We're all keeping Naomi in our thoughts, Sam," the leader of the New Warriors nodded, removing his helmet. "Dwayne Taylor, Night Thrasher." "James Hudson, Guardian," the original leader of Alpha Flight said, steepling his fingers. "And my co-leader-" "Heather Hudson, Vindicator," the green, gold and white-clad Heather smiled. "Both of Alpha Flight." "Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler," Kurt nodded at Heather's right. "With me is Laynia Petrovna, Darkstar, representing the Russian People's Protectorate - the former Soviet Super Soldiers." "Thank you for inviting me to attend," a blonde woman in a black and gold bodysuit nodded from Kurt's right. "The Russian government asked me to extend their thanks for including the People's Protectorate as well." "We would be remiss if we did not include representatives from the various world powers, Ms. Petrovna," Val Cooper replied at Laynia's right. "Wouldn't we, Mr. Summers ?" "No complaints here, Val," Alex replied, taking a seat between Val and Scott. He looked at Frank and Aidan with wide eyes and whispered, "I'm getting old ..." "bouncy bouncy," Frank whispered, moving up and down in his seat and looking at Aidan. The baby yawned and nuzzled into Frank's shoulder, dozing off as Paige repressed a laugh. "He's jes' so darn CUTE," Husk smiled. She looked at Sam and closed her eyes, praying, #Lord, let Naomi live ...# "If the junior contingent is cooperating, we'll begin," Xavier smiled despite himself. "At 06:00 hours Eastern Standard Time yesterday, the X-Men Blue Team arrived at an uninhabited - at least to our previous knowledge - island near Tahiti to attempt to free Franklin, Rachel Summers and Sean Cassidy from imprisonment by Mr. Sinister. At the same time, the island was under attack by an Omega-class magnakinetic whom ... killed Sinister with extreme prejudice." "We escaped unharmed, and Ray later gave birth to - well, you can guess the rest," Frank shrugged, nodding at Aidan. "And this magnakinetic is - ?" Guardian asked. "He all but identified himself as Magneto," Scott replied with a frown. "He vanished from our scanners, which isn't too hard to believe given his skills." "So we have an anti-human mutant running around God only knows where, planning God only knows what ?" Dwayne frowned. "We can't assume anything at this point," Val countered. "Before his - reaging, I guess we're calling it - Erik Lehnsherr was pretty much a normal teenage boy. There's no way to be sure what he's planning." "What we would like to ask is if all of you would keep an eye out for Magnus, or this quasi-religious group who are worshipping him - 'Acolytes,' they call themselves," Xavier said. "In this way, we can move as a group to confront - and if need be, contain - Magnus, with a minimum of bloodshed." "Sir, is any bloodshed necessary ?" Frank asked softly. The adults looked at him, and Darkstar sighed, "Master Richards, you did not live with the legends of the Vinnitsa Massacre, where Magneto butchered -" "You mean this," Frank frowned, psionically displaying the devastated Magnus watching Anya burn. The adults gasped, recoiling. "I've been in Erik's head. I can't believe he'd turn into some ravening anti-human racist, especially after Cortez tried to kill him," Frank continued. "Vinnitsa was another Magnus, not the guy I grew up with. Maybe I'm just tryin' to hope ... but I won't turn on him until he turns on us." (1) "We can but pray, Franklin," Xavier agreed as the heroes got up to depart. "We can but pray." -------------------------------------------------------- Medlab: -------------------------------------------------------- #Pray ...# Rachel looked over from her hospital bed, still laid up from the ravages Sinister had put her body through when he'd force-gestated Aidan within her (2), and wiped away tears as she looked at the bandaged, still form nearby. #Naomi. All that psi-backlash (3) caused so much brain damage,# Ray thought sadly as she looked at the comatose Kentucky girl. Blonde curls dangled in Naomi's face, and she looked outwardly healthy. Not so, the blond boy sitting at her bedside, his face visible to Ray. Lewis sat hunkered over Naomi, deathly pale, his left arm in a sling and cast after the damage Arclight had done to it (4). "C'mon, sis," Lew whispered, ignoring Ray's gaze. "Please ..." "Lew ?" Ray called. Lew looked up and met her eyes, smiling sadly. "Thanks f'r bein' here, Ray. 'M sorry ya got laid up - even if it gave ya Aidan," Lew said. "He's a cute little kid." "Has his dad's charm and my looks," Ray half-smiled. "Speaking of whom - hey hey, guess who's here ?" Frank entered, giving the sleeping Aidan to Ray, and kissed her brow. ~How's he doing ?~ the teen asked his love mentally. ~He's in such pain, Scrap,~ Ray psighed, cradling Aidan to her. ~I don't know what to -~ ~Ma,~ Aidan interrupted. His eyes opened, and he looked about, cooing. A pulse of love and tentative concern radiated from him, and a psi-pulse touched everyone across the room. ~What was THAT ?~ Frank asked, arching an eyebrow at the baby. "Precocious -" "Grmm ..." Naomi mumbled. The teens turned, gasping and slowly smiling, as the girl opened her eyes and asked, "Where ... ?" "NAOMI ! OH MAH GOD THANK YOU LORD !" Lew shouted, hugging his twin gently and springing up to get the doctors. Naomi sat up, shaking her head, and looked at the newest branch of the Richards family tree with a dropping jaw. "Oh mah GOD - y'r - but y'r still - how long ah been OUT !?" she asked. "It's a long story," Ray smiled. "Naomi, I'd like you to meet Aidan John Richards, Frank's and my son." "And," Frank smiled proudly, taking the baby from Ray gently and setting the child in Naomi's arms, "a budding psi-healer, if I'm right ..." "Well, sugah, ah guess ah owe ya," Naomi laughed, letting Aidan's hand curl about her finger. "Thank God," Ray smiled. "We beat the reaper again ..." She sobbed into her hands, letting Frank hug her, and moaned, "Tom ... Sharon ... those monsters butchered them ..." (5) "All the more reason to remember them, and celebrate the victories we get, Ray," Frank whispered, wiping at his own eyes. He took Aidan from Naomi and held his son to him, sitting at Ray's side. "Yeah," Frank smiled sadly at the cooing baby, "we're not gonna forget them, are we ? Or you, kiddo - we're gonna be here, yes we are ..." -------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Floor: -------------------------------------------------------- "Alexa ..." Deanna Pryde called from outside the room they'd been given after the New Mutants' forced transfer to the Institute for Higher Learning. "GO AWAY," Alexa growled from behind the locked door. "Damnit, Alexa, you're not gettin' rid of me !" the daughter of Shadowcat and Colossus demanded. "We're best friends ! You got me through all the crap when my bastard father beat up Uncle Pete ! You didn't flinch when your image inducer failed at elementary school and you had to face down those bullies ! We're like sisters !" The door swung open, and Dee looked into red-rimmed gold eyes set in a blue-furred face. "Fine," Alexa muttered, dressed in a bathrobe. "Are you happy now ?" "Of course not. But you can't mope over -" Dee began. "DON'T say his name," Alexa hissed, cursing in her father's native German as she began to get dressed. "My boyfriend died in the biosphere, Dee (6). Now, there's only Magneto ... "And when I get a chance, that MONSTER will pay for wiping Erik out." -------------------------------------------------------- Headmaster's Office: 10:00 hrs EST: -------------------------------------------------------- "I want OUT !" Xavier, Emma and Sean looked up in surprise as Danny Davies stormed in with a furious look and a packed suitcase. "I don't care - wherever you want to send me, whatever kind of witness protection program you have, send me," Danny growled, pushing black hair out of her eyes. "This isn't a school, it's a kill zone. First Gail and Bill croak (7), now Ray's got a SON, Erik's turned back into Magneto, and Naomi nearly died ! I've HAD it !" "Daniela, isn't there anything we can do ... ?" Xavier asked. "NO," Danny frowned, fighting down her wereform. "I just want ... just wanna go ..." She sobbed once, but waved Sean back. "I want to have a normal life again," Danny pleaded. "Isn't there some way - any way - something I could wear or do or take to make the power go away ... ?" "There are small inhibitors," Emma frowned. "But denying what you are -" "Might not be 'brave' and 'heroic,' Ms. Frost. But it's what I WANT," Danny glared. "I'll do anything, but I can't take this anymore." "Danny, lass, please take a few days t'decide," Sean asked. Danny set her bag down and looked at the floor, finally shaking her head. "I've decided," she replied, meeting Sean's gaze. "I want out." The adults collectively sighed, and Xavier began to dial a number. "There's an Idaho ranch which is a front for the Mutant Underground Support Engine," he said. "You can go there and live, apart from humans but still close enough to civilization to learn to control your powers and integrate ..." "TH' HECK SHE IS !" The mutants looked at the door to the room and saw Naomi, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, storm in with a frown. "Don't'cha DARE punk out on me now, Davies !" the floropsion demanded. "YOU'RE AWAKE !?" the others gasped. "Thank Frank an' Ray's young'in," Naomi smiled. She turned to Danny and looked at her pleadingly, asking, "Danny, ah know it's been bad. But we need ya - ah need ya - t'stay. Please ... ?" Danny hugged her, but shook her head. "I'm really glad you're OK, Naomi, but I can't do this anymore," the werebear sighed. "I'll miss you all, but I need to live a real life ..." She let go of Naomi and picked up her suitcase as Xavier dialed the Bedlams. Finally, he scribbled notes on a sheet of notebook paper and handed them to Danny as she left with a crestfallen Naomi. "The Aaronson brothers will meet you out front in a few moments," Xavier said. "Take care, Daniela." "I will, sir. Thanks," Danny called over her shoulder. "An' with that," Sean sighed, "'M off. Ye ken that Moira's still in shock ... she needs me." "God yes," Xavier mumbled. "Erik was like another son to her ... and Tom and Sharon - when does it end ?" "When we have battered our foes into the dust, Charles. Or when the next generation has found a better way." The mutants steeled themselves as a hologram flickered into life before them, red and purple and white hair atop it. "ERIK ..." Xavier whispered. "Hello, Charles," the holo-Magnus nodded. "I am at a secure location. I need to ask you a favor - tell the world that Magneto is not out to dominate any longer. I am taking those mutants who come to me and heading into orbit. We seek no harm to anyone but those who attack us." "Are you MAD !? Do you REALLY think the great powers will settle for YOUR word !?" Emma yelled. "I remember when Shaw offered you the White King seat on the Inner Circle, Magnus - you won't stop until you've 'freed' mutantkind to your rule !" "That was even before you helped massacre Ned Buckman's mutaphobic Inner Circle, Frost," Magnus glowered. "Congratulate yourself upon teaching me a better way than blood. But do not mistake segregation for apathy. If mutants are being savaged, and call upon me - or even if they are just being savaged - I will act." "You're deluding yourself, Erik," Xavier said, shaking his head. "If there's anything of the child whom we raised -" "There is not, Charles," Magnus replied coldly. "This is your only warning, old friend. Let us not cross swords again." The hologram faded out, but not before the holo-Magnus seemed to turn at a grieving cry from behind him. "ERIK !?" Alexa screamed, running into the room and falling to the floor. "Alexa - ?" Sean said, helping the girl up. She pushed him back, glaring, and stormed out. "She's on edge. We'd best watch her," Emma sighed. She stood, looking at Sean, and asked, "Ready for the new year ?" "God willin', it'll be better 'n this past quarter," Sean replied. "Charles, th' funerals f'r Tom an' Sharon - ?" "They asked to be cremated," Xavier replied. "The memorial service will be tomorrow at the family cemetary - I'll see you there ?" "Wouldnae miss it," Sean nodded, leaving to get Moira. Emma looked at Xavier and shook her head. "And then there were 16," Emma said. "The future has to get better, Charles." "As Sean said, Emma, God willing," Xavier agreed. Emma left him, and Xavier looked out the bay window at the blowing snow. #God willing,# Xavier thought, clenching a fist before he opened his desk and pulled out a file. #Or these ...# He set the file on his desk and poured himself a brandy, the firelight falling on the title of the file as he savored the taste of the liquor: Magneto Protocols -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: Christmas and a baby shower ! -------------------------------------------------------- end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com