psinex@yahoo.com Fires of Tomorrow 4/60 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's, except for Dave, Melanie, Deanna, and Aidan, who're mine. Please don't sue. WARNING: Mature topics, blunt language, etc., etc. -------------------------------------------------------- X-Mansion Medlab: 01/09/2004: 08:25 hrs EST: -------------------------------------------------------- "... so, my powers popped, and Dave sort of followed suit," Melanie Summers said as Leong and Nga looked over the bruised Nate. "It's so good to SEE you again !" Ray grinned, hugging her cousins. "Dave, you've grown again." "Well, I AM Nate's age," Dave blushed beneath short blond hair. "Whose baby is that ?" "Your folks really didn't tell you," Ray muttered matter-of-factly, balancing Aidan in her arms as she lifted him from an extra cradle Moira had left in the medlab following the baby's birth. Mel and Dave's eyes bulged, and Ray telepathically shared her son's origin with them. "oh my GOD ..." Mel whispered. "That bastard Sinister - I hope someone beats the shit out of him like we did Creed." A THUD behind the kids, and Aidan's sudden squeal of glee, made them turn around and smile. "Miss us ?" Frank grinned, entering the room through a teleportal with the other New Mutants and the captive Marauders. "YOU GOT THEM ! OOH - I'm gonna ENJOY kicking Sinister around the Danger Room !" Ray cheered, hugging Frank carefully. "Wait - where's -" The teleportal closed after Alexa appeared with a battered, blanket-clad Erik leaning on her. "Someone get me a bottle of antiseptic and some cotton balls," Alexa demanded. "You, studly - SIT." "OK," Erik agreed, smiling despite the wince of pain he gave as he sat on an exam table. "Nate - what happened to you, man ?" "Sabretooth," Nate smirked, getting up and pulling his shirt back on. "Good to see you back, 'Rik." "All the way, too," Erik nodded. "Ray - whose baby - ?" Ray rolled her eyes and sighed, "Long story short: Sinister captured us before your Magneto persona got control, forced Frank to roll me, I end up pregnant, Sinister force-grew the baby inside me, and I gave birth back on December 15. His name's Aidan John Richards, and he's perfectly healthy." Aidan burbled, waving his arms at Erik, and the teen waved back with a small smile. "But ... how're you doing ?" Erik asked. "I ... it still hurts," Ray admitted, sitting in a chair and opening her shirt to let Aidan nurse. "Not the part where Frank and I slept together - it wasn't like either of us dreamed, but Frank was as gentle as he could be. It was the ... forced growth ..." She shivered, letting Frank put an arm around her, and looked at him. "I'm sorry. I don't want to embarass you every time I talk about it ..." she whispered. "You're not," Frank smiled, kneeling beside her and Aidan. "Ray, we hafta be honest about it - we're a team, you and Aid and I. I'm not gonna hide from my part in this." Ray kissed his cheek and said, loudly enough for the others to hear, "You are a prince." She grinned and added, louder yet, "And he WAS good ..." "RAY !" Frank yelped, blushing. The other boys, except for Nate and Dave, grinned wolfishly, while the girls either blushed or grinned back. "And on that note, we'd best cut it off," Alexa advised. "Everyone, out while Erik gets some rest and we wait for -" "Where've ye - THE MARAUDERS !?" Moira yelled, entering with a look of shock and Sean at her heels. Their faces lit up when they saw Erik, and the boy smiled hugely back. "You're here !" he called. Moira ran to him, hugging him and crying, while Sean looked at the Marauders, then the Mutants, and back again. "Ye didnae - ye did," Sean slowly grinned. "An' - SINISTER ... ?" "And Sabretooth," Nicole winked, holding up the still-unconscious, manacled Creed. "Only Prism was killed." "Amazing," Xavier mused, entering with an aghast Scott and a smiling Jean. "But by what right did you leave the campus without permission ?" "The right of not deserting our teammate !" Joe yelled in Xavier's face. "Erik's back to his real self, darnit ! That jerk Sinister TORTURED him, and you sat on your hands -" "JOE !" Frank yelled. He walked forward with a serious expression and said, "Sir, if anyone's to blame, it's me. I led the team to that island, and into combat." "Well ... 10 demerits for your brash action, Franklin. Suspended pending your passing your next psionics test," Xavier said. The kids cheered and left, while Moira looked Erik over and repressed a sob. "Ye puir laddie - ye were savaged !" she moaned. "I don't remember a lot of it," Erik gulped. "And the other me was in control most of the time - I didn't feel a thing." "What of the other Magnus ?" Xavier asked. Erik met his gaze, then nodded and closed his eyes. "You'd better psi-scan me, sir," the boy asked, fear evident in his tone. "If he's still in there ..." Erik let the words trail off, and Xavier entered his mind gently. After a long moment, the telepath left the boy's mind and shuddered. "There's ... no trace of the original mnemonic pathways," Xavier whispered, ashen. "Magnus self-destructed somehow ..." "MAGNETO IS TRULY DEAD." -------------------------------------------------------- #So where does that leave me ?# Erik thought, heading upstairs an hour later in fresh clothes. His ribs ached a little from the whippings Scalphunter had given him, but he was mostly - #HUNGRY !# the teen thought, rooting around in the refrigerator. #15 - my birthday happened when I was 'Magneto' ...# He motioned towards the foil-wrapped burritos, cursing under his breath when the package refused to come to him. #Darnit - my fine control's shot !# Erik realized, lifting the package by hand and unwrapping a few burritos. "This bites," the boy growled, putting the burritos on a plate and warming them up. "I gotta totally relearn my -" ~lovehateangersadnessRAAAY!Mama?where'dIleavethelipgloss~ "GAAGH !" Erik cried, sitting down. #Telepathy - back !# he realized, trying to create a mindshield as Emma had taught him. He looked up and saw Nate run in with Dave, fear writ large on his face. "Hang on, 'Rik - remember our lessons ?~ the younger boy sent, offering Erik a psi-lesson on shielding. Erik nodded gratefully, absorbing the offered knowledge and reinforcing his shields as Nate left his mind. "Thanks, Nate," Erik grunted. "I hate not havin' control anymore ..." "I know the feeling," Dave added as Nate handed Erik the warmed burritos. "My light powers're all screwy." "Where've you and Mel been, anyhow ? You were barely here during Christmas break," Nate asked. "Private schools in D.C.," Dave pouted. He made himself a peanut butter sandwich and sighed, "They wanted us to have 'reg'lar' lives until our powers popped. It stank - we never saw you guys 'cept durin' summer !" "Well, that's over," Nate grinned, high-fiving his cousin. "You wanna room t'gether ? We're still gettin' our stuff sorted out from when the Marauders trashed the Academy and made us move." Dave's eyes widened, and he grinned, "YEAH ! That'll RULE !" The boys whooped and stood, cramming their sandwiches into their mouths and running upstairs. "Kids," a silken voice laughed from the basement door. Erik looked up, smiling, as Alexa strode over to the table and sat across from him. "I missed you," she said, taking his hand. "Erik ... I think this could be a new beginning for us. Magneto's gone, and you've survived ..." "I want it to work to, 'Lex," Erik said softly. "I ... I need help with my powers, but I haven't forgotten us. I -" He nearly jumped out of his seat when Alexa jumped up and kissed him hard on the lips. She released him and grinned, "OOH yeah, you're back." "I'm not sure. Wanna try that again ?" Erik winked. Alexa grinned and kissed him again, mumbling, "Good - SMACK - therapy - SMOOCH -" -------------------------------------------------------- Danger Room: 11:00 hrs: -------------------------------------------------------- "That's it - focus -" Joe concentrated, trying to keep sweat from rolling into his eyes as he telekinetically threaded a needle under Jean's watch. Ray, Nate and Erik - who had been invited to start honing his own TK - watched as well, not daring to breathe. Aidan sat in Ray's lap, seeming to watch as well. "There - " Joe grunted, sitting down with a huff. Jean examined the needle and smiled. "Good work, Joe," she said. "You're still having trouble, though ?" "I dunno why," Joe shrugged. "It's not so tough, but there's been this weird - feeling I get whenever I use my powers -" His eyes bulged when his voice broke on the last word. "Cripes, Joe, I thought you were in puberty already," Erik teased. Jean frowned and concentrated, her eyebrows raising. "It's something else," she said. "Joe, let me into your mind ..." Joe nodded, dropping his mindshield as Jean probed gently. ~Hello ?~ she sent, examining the boy's public thoughts. ~Could've sworn there was another mindsignature in here ...~ She left, but shrugged and said, "There was something there, but I'm not sure what. If you have any more trouble, we can probe deeper - until then, I don't want to go rooting around in your subconscious without good cause." "Thanks," Joe said, standing. "We're done ?" "Yep," Jean said. The kids broke, heading for their locker rooms, and Joe began to undress before showering. #It did feel kinda like - nah,# he thought, looking in the mirror - - and screaming when a female figure looked back at him. "IT CAN'T BE !" he cried. "NATE ! 'RIK - LOOK AT THIS !" Nate came running, shaking his head and saying, "There's nothing there, cous." Erik looked at Joe before heading for the shower and muttered, "You REALLY need a girlfriend ..." Joe just shook his head and began to shower, mumbling, "There WAS a girl there ..." -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: Just when things were calming down ... PIOTR COMES MARCHING HOME. -------------------------------------------------------- end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com