From owner-outsidethelines@Mailing-List.net Sat Jul 24 17:30:56 1999 Return-Path: Received: from smtp3.mindspring.com (smtp3.mindspring.com [207.69.200.33]) by mail5.netcom.com (8.8.5-r-beta/8.8.5/(NETCOM v1.02)) with ESMTP id RAA13447 for ; Sat, 24 Jul 1999 17:30:55 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mx6.mindspring.com (mx6.mindspring.com [207.69.200.36]) by smtp3.mindspring.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id UAA11761 for ; Sat, 24 Jul 1999 20:30:54 -0400 (EDT) X-MindSpring-Loop: alara@mindspring.com Received: from mailing-list.net ([192.41.59.89]) by mx6.mindspring.com (Mindspring Mail Service) with ESMTP id rpkmls.bic.37kbi14 Sat, 24 Jul 1999 20:30:52 -0400 (EDT) Received: from localhost (mlist@localhost) by mailing-list.net (8.8.5) id SAA09438; Sat, 24 Jul 1999 18:29:52 -0600 (MDT) Received: by mailing-list.net (bulk_mailer v1.9); Sat, 24 Jul 1999 18:29:50 -0600 Received: (mlist@localhost) by mailing-list.net (8.8.5) id SAA09410; Sat, 24 Jul 1999 18:29:48 -0600 (MDT) Received: from web601.yahoomail.com (web2002.mail.yahoo.com [128.11.68.202]) by mailing-list.net (8.8.5) id SAA09405; Sat, 24 Jul 1999 18:29:46 -0600 (MDT) X-Authentication-Warning: mailing-list.net: Host web2002.mail.yahoo.com [128.11.68.202] claimed to be web601.yahoomail.com Message-ID: <19990725002942.4261.rocketmail@web601.yahoomail.com> Received: from [208.1.85.157] by web2002.mail.yahoo.com; Sat, 24 Jul 1999 20:29:42 EDT Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 20:29:42 -0400 (EDT) From: Phil Hartman Subject: [OTL]: Fires of Tomorrow 10/60 (PG-13) To: Outside The Lines MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: owner-outsidethelines@Mailing-List.net Reply-To: outsidethelines@Mailing-List.net Status: O psinex@yahoo.com Fires of Tomorrow 10/60 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's, except for Danny, Deanna, Dave, Mel and Aidan, who're mine. Please don't sue. -------------------------------------------------------- 3/1/2004: X-Mansion back yard: 11:00 hrs EST: -------------------------------------------------------- "Happy birthday to you ..." Ray smiled as she blew out the candles on her cake, while Frank held Aidan and the gathered X-Men and New Mutants cheered. ~14 today - you're a whole year older,~ Frank sent lovingly. ~I feel like I've been through five of 'em,~ Ray replied with a smirk, taking Aidan into her lap and letting him nibble some cake from her finger. "Like that, kiddo ?" ~Yummy,~ the baby replied, letting Ray keep feeding him with a bottle. "Thanks for the great weather, Aunt Ororo," Ray called. "For my goddaughter ? Anything, Rachel," Ororo smiled back. "I'd call you 'child,' but of course ..." "Hey, this is the best birthday present I could've gotten," Ray grinned, holding Aidan. "Or Christmas, considering his birthdate." "Hey, HEY, you guys started without us !" Angelo mock-groaned, appearing with the rest of Gen X through a transportal. "Any cake left ?" "You and your gut," Monet Espinosa muttered to her husband. "Nicole, Claudette - how are you ?" Nicoletta stood, Nicole's regular half-smirk visible on her lips, and said, "Still two minds, one body, sister dear. Drs. Cassidy and McCoy are working on a cloning matrix, but it's taking time." "And I, for one, am not in a good mood," Claudette pouted, taking control of the body's vocal cords. "I miss you, M ..." "Well, we are keeping busy with our superhero work in the South," Monet said regretfully. "I should have stayed with you - protected you from -" "Oh, STOP IT !" Nicole demanded, reassuming control. "Monet, you can't live Claudette's and my lives for us. Even if we are stuck in one body again, it's what happened and we're stuck with it. Now, come on and stop grousing." "Ah swear, ah dunno what's weirder - list'nin' t' Nicky an' Claud argue with each othah, or mindlinkin' with plants," Naomi grinned from where she, Lew and Paige stood a little ways apart from the other mutants. "Where's Jono ?" Paige sighed and grumbled, "'Nother record deal in LA. Ah swear, I wish we'd picked th' west coast f'r our patrol zone ... Atlanta's nice an' close t'home f'r most o' us, but Jono's gone half th' time." "Ah nevah did heah how all th' X-teams chose a diff'rent part o'the US t'patrol," Lew asked between bites of cake. "It was at our graduation," Paige said. "Ya had that bad case o' th' chicken pox, so Mama left ya at home with Joelle. After th' others chose me as team leader, ah sat down with th' Professor, Mr. Summers - both o'them- Ms. Munroe, an' Sam, an' we divvied up th' US. We got th' South from Texas t' th' Atlantic, north t' the Mason-Dixon Line. X-Factor got th' east coast, X-Force got out west, th' X-Men Blue got th' Midwest, an' th' X-Men Gold got th' New England states." "Was graduation when ya all found out 'bout Adrienne ... ?" Lew asked, wide-eyed. Paige gave a nasty little grin and said, "Jono found out a month b'fore - fried her l'il crim'nal brain by acc'dent aftah Ev a'most died fightin' th' Risin' Sons. Emma was her closest next o' kin - y' remember Selene sucked Cordelia dry durin' th' Hellfire War back in '99, b'fore Shinobi killed her, an' th' Marauders killed th' Upstarts." "Th' Marauders killed most o' th' older villains, din't they ?" Naomi said. "'Cept f'r the Brotherhood an' the Savage Land Mutates, yeah," Paige frowned. "Unus, Vanisher, Mesmero, Omega Red, Apocalypse's Riders o' th' Storm, th' old Horsemen - 'cept f'r Warren, o'course - an' Nanny an' th' Orphanmaker, at least. Who knows who else Sinister's thugs butch'red ?" "Well, we put them creeps b'hind bars," Lew grinned. "Ain't no way Sin'ster an' his psychos gettin' outta th' Vault." -------------------------------------------------------- Rocky Mountains: Vault: Maximum security wing: 09:00 hrs MST: -------------------------------------------------------- "Thank you, guard," U.S. Asst. Attorney General Roberta Michaels nodded as she entered the cell of the being the Guardsmen had refused to be alone with for any period of time. "How refreshing. A lawyer who bothers to visit the edifice of the person she is trying to prosecute," Sinister chuckled. The color had gone back out of his skin, and his powers had returned (after Frank's inadvertent "humanization" of Sinister, see Chapter 3). #If he had a big rubber nose, he'd look like a clown,# Roberta thought, looking at Sinister in his orange jumpsuit and inhibitor collar. The low hum of an inhibitor field generator beneath the floor, with the ventilation systems, were the only noises in the cell for a long moment. "Dr. Essex, we managed to verify your claims of existence in 1859 thanks to Interpol," Roberta finally said. "The data we collected from the Tahiti ruins is ... it will be enough to send you to the electric chair. Unless you care to plea-bargain about the X-Men ... ?" "My dear Ms. Michaels, we both know the X-Men have friends in high places, and official government sanction as well," Sinister replied icily. "The days of your government's absurdist paranoia over mutant superheroes are over. Besides, if I am to die, I want it to be with the ability to look my accusers in the eye, and mock you for your pathetic genomes." Roberta fought back a snarl and said, "Very well. We will see you in court. Oh, and this came for you - I can't imagine who would send you such fine crystal." She set the opened box marked "Special Delivery - Nathaniel Essex, from Lincoln, Na." on Sinister's bed and left him. #Such ... EVIL,# the prosecutor thought, shivering despite herself at the sheer emotionlessness of the man. Sinister finished his breakfast and opened the box, arching an eyebrow. #Crystal - ?# he mused, digging in the styrofoam - - and repressing a ... giggle. #This is nothing short of brilliant,# Sinister mused, examining the moving crystal figurine in his hands. #And I thought he always went to pieces in combat ...# "Hi, boss," a tiny Prism whispered. "Whaddya say we get outta here ?" -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: Beyond the veil - THEY wait ... PLUS: Moira's most shocking secret was revealed years ago in the Marvel canon. Here, HE'S JUST WAKING UP ... -------------------------------------------------------- end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com