psinex@yahoo.com Fires of Tomorrow 17/20 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's, except for the Richards twins, Danny, Deanna, Dave, and Mel, who're mine. Please don't sue. -------------------------------------------------------- X-Mansion: 4/17/2004: 08:00 hrs EST: -------------------------------------------------------- "No change, huh ?" Gail asked Bill outside the medlab. "Tom's still outta it," Bill pouted. "I dunno why - it was bad in Genosha, but he shouldn't hate himself so much." "You got over your guilt pretty quickly during our stint in Limbo," Gail smiled. They boarded the elevator, ending up in the kitchen and heading into the back yard. "Those were interesting times, weren't they ?" Bill smirked. "Our powers warped, we hadda dodge demons, an' when we got back -" (1) "Everyone thought we'd died," Gail replied. "In a way, we sort of did ..." She held out her hand and generated a column of flame, watching it dance slowly. "My psi left when Dawn's possession did," Gail said over the hiss of fire. "But she left me with pyrotic powers." "And my luck got better, right along with my physique," Bill grinned, lifting a boulder and crushing it to powder. "And we ..." Gail watched as Bill dusted himself off, then said, "We ... ? What is there of us, Bill ? I mean, we settled our differences in Limbo, but ..." "You wanna try to find out when we're not fightin' for our lives ?" Bill asked, grinning. "You're incorrigible," Gail huffed, rolling her eyes. "But ..." She kissed Bill's lips, then smiled softly and nodded. "But yummy," Gail added, taking his hand and walking with him. -------------------------------------------------------- "What does she SEE in him ?" Deanna looked up from her calculus as Joe watched Bill and Gail walk along the back yard path towards the cove. "Maybe she's just more mature than you are," Dee huffed. #Not like you notice ME anyway -# "Girls do mature faster'n boys," Joe shrugged, sitting and returning to his own algebra. "Isn't that right ?" "I suppose," Dee said, refusing to meet Joe's gaze. #I will NOT let myself be swayed by how cute he is ... let him draw me out ...# "Yeah," Joe nodded. He looked at Dee, then arched his eyebrows and said, "Younger girls ... could be on par with a guy who's a little older." "That," Dee huffed, "was the WEAKEST comeon I've ever heard." "Comeon - ME !?" Joe exclaimed, blushing. He looked around, but gulped when Dee slid over on the couch and smiled. "Don't deny it," Dee whispered. "I may not move as fast as my father, but I'm not blind. I know when someone's interested in me. And I want to return the favor." "You mean - ?" Joe whispered. "You've played by the rules. No telepathy to tell if your crush has like feelings for you," Dee smiled. "That means you get a reward, Mr. Bailey." She kissed Joe's cheek, and said, "Now come on. We've got big tests ahead of us, and I don't wanna ruin them." #WOW,# Joe thought, speed-reading. -------------------------------------------------------- "KIAI !" #DuckspindodgeTWIST-# Nate narrowly evaded another kick from Domino, jumping above her leg sweep and landing shakily on his feet behind her. They traded blows and blocks in a measured dance around the Danger Room, powers forbidden by mutual consent, clad in shorts and tank tops for their sparring session. "You're - WHOULF - getting better," Dom nodded, letting Nate take a break. "Your accent - ?" Nate asked, sitting beside her on a bench and accepting a water bottle. "OK, OK, I'm as Scottish as James Doohan," Bea smirked. "I was in Ullapool with a genegang, but not a Scottish one. The part about being orphaned is true, though - scan me if you want." "We knew you weren't Scots after - whoops," Nate gulped. Bea's eyes narrowed, and she muttered, "Someone scanned me already ... ?" "It was a security thing !" Nate squeaked. "Ms. Frost -" "Typical," Bea growled. "I suppose I don't have the right to whine - it is your security, after all - but I wanted to find a place where people'd trust me ..." "Hey, I do," Nate said. He put a hand on Bea's shoulder and met her purple gaze, adding, "You're ... really neat, y'scan ? I feel like I can talk to you about anything - even stuff I wouldn't tell Dave or Frank." "I ... thanks, Nate," Bea said, smiling softly. "Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you in the next round, though." "I wouldn't dream of it," Nate grinned, rising and assuming a battle stance. -------------------------------------------------------- #Now where - # Danny's jaw dropped as she saw a radiant glow coming from a darkened storeroom on the first subbasement floor. #Th-that's - #-THAT'S ME ... ?# A frightened gasp broke her out of her reverie, and she stopped looking at the idealized solid-light image of herself. "Who's there ?" Danny called, sniffing the air with a mock-frown. "Er ... hi, Danny," Dave Summers called, glowing slightly to reveal himself standing beside the solid-light construct. "Uh ... you're prob'ly wonderin' why I chose you as a subject ..." "It's really nice," Danny smiled. "I didn't know your photonic powers worked like this." "Oh," Dave shrugged, smiling faintly, "thanks. It's a nice change from havin' t' blow stuff up or learnin' how to fly with solid light. I ... I -" "Your art is personal, so you work on it when you're alone so you won't be embarassed if someone knocks it," Danny said. "Yeah ! How'd you know ?" Dave asked. "I'm a writer. I'd be mortified if anyone read my journal," Danny grinned. "It's an artist thing - same problem, different media. You want to get it right, but you can't reveal how it's done - either it flows, and it turns out right, or it doesn't and it sucks. But even if YOU think it's right, and someone knocks it, you blame yourself." "Yeah," Dave nodded, smiling. "You really think it's good ... ?" "Very good," Danny smiled back. "I won't tell anyone you're down here. See you later ?" "Uh, yeah," Dave said, waving as Danny left. #SHE LIKED IT !!!# he thought, grinning. #Not a bad piece at all,# Danny thought as she left. #And Dave's a really nice guy ... if he were a little older ... hell, why should age matter if we're both mature enough ... ?# -------------------------------------------------------- Of course, it did matter. After what happened next, everything changed. The War altered the very fabric of our lives (and I'm not talking wrinkles in our cotton shirts). We were just naive enough to believe we could pick up after Xavier's death and move on. Little did we know that we were about to bear witness to the end of the First Heroic Age. And play a critical role in the conception of the Second Heroic Age ... - "Drawing the Sword: The New Round Table" by Daniela Davies pub. 2018 (first edition), 2058 (second edition) -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: Who is ... ABADDON ? -------------------------------------------------------- end _____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Free instant messaging and more at http://messenger.yahoo.com