psinex@yahoo.com Fires of Tomorrow 16/30 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: Everyone here is Marvel's, except for Danny, Deanna, Mel, Dave and the Richards twins, who're mine. The FBI agents are 20th Century Fox's. Please don't sue. -------------------------------------------------------- Commission on Superhuman Affairs Wash. D.C. Office: Morgue: 4/10/2004: 09:00 hrs EST: -------------------------------------------------------- "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HIM !?" Val Cooper just shook her head and looked away as Alex Summers nodded once at the body on the exam table. "Yes, it's him," Havok muttered, his voice thick. The doctor covered the body up, and Alex held the still-shivering Lorna close. "My GOD - Alex, whatever happened, it was ..." Lorna whispered, tears welling. "The magnetosphere was shredded ... the kids - Mel called, she's lost her powers somehow ..." "And the deaths of all those mutates caused a psi-backlash," Alex muttered, leaving with Lorna after signing for the body. "You know if he wanted to be cremated ?" "We'll have to ask Jean," Lorna replied. "But how do we tell them the Professor's DEAD ?" -------------------------------------------------------- "... Alpha Flight - ALL of them - were at the North Magnetic Pole when the backlash hit," Scott told Logan, Ororo, Sam, Dani, Alex, Kurt and Paige. The leaders of the X-teams had gathered in the Professor's office - now Scott's, as per Xavier's hastily-read will. "Y'r sayin' ... they're dead ?" Logan grunted. "Logan, I'm sorry," Kurt offered. Logan just shook his head and left, ignoring Jubilee and Kitty's offered calls of support. "Similar incidents have caused global deaths among superhumans," Scott continued, forcing down his sorrow. "Iron Man and Dr. Doom are both reported to have had their armor explode, although Doom's report is questionable. Iron Man ... didn't make it. Moondragon, Russia's Vanguard, Blind Faith, and several others are known to be dead." "We ain't doin' too well ourselves, Scott," Paige said bitterly. "It's a miracle Jono an' Monet're still alive - or Emma. An' ... th' Professor ..." "Not to mention the losses among the New Mutants," Frank replied, entering with a look of sheer exhaustion. "Mel's powers're fluctuating, Kevin's still unconscious, and Tom ..." "Tom's still out ?" Scott asked. "Psychosomatic shock is what Dr. Cassidy said," Frank shrugged. "Seeing that many bodies ..." "We'll have to take it one step at a time, cliched as that is," Dani sighed. "I still can't believe he's ..." "I know," Sam nodded as they left Scott alone. "Now more'n ever, we gotta stay close t'th' nest." Frank was the last to leave, asking, "Mr. Summers - is there anything I can - ?" "Be with Rachel and the twins, Frank," Scott asked. "Just be there for them right now." Frank nodded and left, closing the door behind him. Scott held a photo of the five original X-Men with Xavier before them, and closed his eyes. #You always said I was supposed to be the leader if you ever fell,# Scott thought. #Well, sir, here we are.# #Let's hope this works ...# -------------------------------------------------------- "Mum ... ?" Moira gasped, sitting beside Kevin's bed and squeezing his hand. "Laddie !" she smiled, brushing his hair back from his face. "Mum," Kevin smiled weakly. "I feel ... odd, tho' ..." "Ye were caught in a psi-backlash, luv," Moira said. "Dinnae be afraid - yuir powers'll likely return soon." "But Mum - th' hunger - I still got m' reality-warpin', but th' hunger - it's GONE !" Kevin grinned. "An' - I think -" ~C'n ye hear me ?~ Moira nodded, wiping her eyes and hugging Kevin as he stood carefully. "T'is at least one good thing what came out o' this ..." -------------------------------------------------------- Dave found his older sister looking out at the yard on the front step, staring at the hearse as it rolled down the driveway with Xavier's body. "Mel ... ?" Dave asked, sitting beside her. "You -?" "It's gone, Dave," Mel replied tonelessly. She played with her green hair and muttered, "The buzz. I used to hear this buzz from the EM-field. Now ..." She concentrated, biting her lip, and gasped when a tendril of black SOMETHING danced in her hands. "Darkforce ... ?" Dave asked, awestruck. "I ... guess," Mel replied, fighting back a smile. "It's something ..." -------------------------------------------------------- "We lay this dreamer, Charles Francis Xavier, to rest ..." The gathered surviving heroes listened to Father Michael Bowen commit Xavier's body to the earth. Black armbands with a maple leaf and an X were visible on many of their sleeves; Alpha Flight were being interred in a military cemetary in Toronto. #The end of so much,# Jean thought, wiping tears away. #The Avengers're really shaken too. But they've still got so much ... and some've lost even more.# She cast a look at Wanda Shade, who was pale and leaning on Bill close by. The news of the Vision's death had rocked the Avengers even more following Iron Man's own explosive end, but no one had yet mentioned the passing of Wanda's father. #And Tom's still in a coma,# Jean pondered. #Where's Pietro, too ... ?# -------------------------------------------------------- Jackhammer fists in a containment suit pummeled the ground of the Genoshan Dead Zone. #WhywhataWASTEFatheryouhadsomuchwhatHAPPENED?# Finally, Pietro Maximoff hit his knees and screamed wordlessly. After a long moment, a dust cloud and a crackle of radio static made him look at the horizon. "What'reyouDOINGifyoursuitrupturedyou'dDIE!" Luna cried, running to her father's side. She knelt and hugged him, crying, "I can't lose you too ! Please, come home !" Pietro hugged her, crying with her, and stood, looking around at the wasteland Asteroid M's detonation had left. "Never again ... I wonder if Father knew the irony in those words," he sighed, running with Luna to the waiting Quinjet. -------------------------------------------------------- "You're sure, then, of the series of events ?" Val asked her contacts. "From what we found during the raid on the Nebraska base, definitely," Dana Scully nodded, sitting across from Val. "The data we found from the Marauders during their imprisonment in the Vault led us straight to Sinister's ... lair." "There's no other word for it, Scully," Fox Mulder said with a rare note of disgust in his voice. "Every sick experiment ... and I thought only the X-Files could be that disgusting." "And the main computer clearly shows that Sinister wanted revenge on Magneto for being used as a receptacle for Magnus' memories ?" Val asked. "That, and he wanted access to Magneto's scientific data," Scully added, handing Val a copy of their report. "Director Skinner authorized us to share this with you. You are, after all, the director of mutant affairs." "Thank you both," Val nodded as the agents rose to leave. She opened the file, shuddering at some of the photos, and closed it before looking out over the Capitol Mall. #The playing field's been levelled a little, but at a horrible price,# Val thought, smirking bitterly. #Charles ... what'll happen now that you and Magnus are gone ... ?# -------------------------------------------------------- X-Mansion: 22:00 hrs EST: -------------------------------------------------------- "... well, I better get to bed," Bill sighed, standing beside Tom's medbed. "Wake up, OK, man, please ?" He left Tom to his comatose state, not noticing a tiny flicker of eyelid movement. -------------------------------------------------------- Pathetic. Simpering wuss. He USED to be tough, but now ... ... he's like I was. Weak. Guilt-ridden. That was before I was baptized in the blood of Genosha and my idiot grandfather. Magnus ran from humanity. When I'm strong enough ... ... I WON'T. -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: Moving onward, upward, and into the realm of spring - and young love ! -------------------------------------------------------- end _____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Free instant messaging and more at http://messenger.yahoo.com