psinex@yahoo.com Fires of Tomorrow 8/60 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's, except for Aidan, Deanna, Danny, Dave, Melanie, the Skraggarhost and the MMDF, who're mine. Please don't sue. ------------------------------------------------------ 2/7/2004: X-Mansion: Men's Wing: 23:02 hrs EST: ------------------------------------------------------ Joe rolled over, sleep evading his wishes, and stared at the alarm clock with a moue of exhaustion. #Still got her on the brain,# he thought, sighing. #Gail ... if you're there, c'mon, sis ...# ~All you had to do was ask.~ Joe nit his lip, tears rolling down his face, as Gail hovered before his bed. ~You're real ... !~ he sent, sitting up. ~Of course I'm real, Joey,~ Gail smiled. Her face twisted in anger, and she continued, ~I really want to KILL the bastards who led me to die. Frost and Cassidy promised to keep us safe, Joe, but they lied !~ ~B-but -~ Joe sent, feeling Gail caress his cheek. ~They didn't mean to-~ ~You wouldn't disagree with your twin sister, wouldja ?~ Gail pleaded. Joe shook his head, standing and hugging Gail. ~No,~ he agreed, frowning. ~But there're so many questions -~ ~Shhh,~ Gail asked, kissing Joe's cheek. ~I need you, Joe - ~I need your BODY.~ Joe spasmed as Gail entered him, making him fall over and quake for an instant. After his breathing returned to normal, he stood, grinning, and looked around. "Sucker," the boy whispered in an effeminate, wicked tone. "Let's go pay your second cousin a visit ... "Sinister's missed Aidan so much." ------------------------------------------------------ Boise, Idaho: 21:05 hrs MST: ------------------------------------------------------ "You're sure this was a good idea ?" Danny Davies asked her newest friends,looking around the alley they found themselves in. "This neighborhood is a little rough ... we should've picked a theater closer to the ranch." "Aw, it'll be fine," a Hispanic boy beside her grinned. "Trust me, chica, compared to some parts of Phoenix -" "Here we go with the inner-city poorboy shtick," a Native American girl behind them mock-groaned. "Life is what you make it, Miguel. We did what we had to back at the reservation." "Si, but did you ever have gangs hunting you ?" Miguel countered. "Trust me, Cath, you had it easy -" "SHH," an African-American boy at the head of the group called. His bald head nodded once, and he turned to the others with a frown. "Back the other way. I'm getting grav-spikes ahead," he said. The others' eyes widened, and they turned around, only to see black-clad figures appear at their backs from a glowing portal. "This is definitely bad," an Asian girl on Danny's other side gulped. "Felgens, lookie what we got," the leader of the teleporting gangers - a tall white boy with a blue mohawk and glowing eyes - chortled. "Genmeat." "Not in THIS life, hombre," Miguel growled. His own hands started to glow, but Cathy stood between him and their opponents. "Your turf is yours. We only ask safe passage," she called, looking at the genegangers with no trace of fear. "Price, psych ?" the gangleader replied. "We have creds, jewelry," Cathy continued. "Not good 'nough, sweets," the gangleader grinned slowly. "Your bodies, mayhaps ... ?" Cathy's eyes widened, and she hissed, "Go flonq yourselves. Shawan -" "One ripslide by 5," the black boy among Danny's friends nodded, opening a transportal - and crying out when a bolt of orange flre lanced into him from one of the gangers. "SHAWAN !?" the Asian girl cried, kneeling beside him as he fell. She whipped her head around at the approaching gangers and snarled, "EAT METAL, JACKOFFS !" Danny and the others hit the ground as the girl fired off a barrage of metallic shrapnel from her fingertips. The gangers dodged, screamed or fell, but Blue Mohawk cursed and created a visible force field. "You're first, girl !" he snarled, charging forward - - but screaming when Miguel grabbed his leg. "Get lost !" Miguel yelled. His hands glowed red, melting through the ganger's pantleg and beginning to burn the taller boy's leg before the Latino youth let go. "Acidic touch ?" Danny winced. "Stay down, Mig - I got the next one." She let her flesh flow, grinning like the bear she became at the gangers' expressions. #Pansies,# she thought, slashing and growling. #I could almost let go and enjoy this ...# ~Whoa, girlfriend,~ Cathy called psionically. ~You're getting carried away.~ Danny resumed her human form and nodded her thanks to Cathy before kneeling beside Shawan. "How is he, Shara ?" she asked the Asian girl. "He's still in shock - looks like a stunbolt," Shara sighed. "Sorry I got carried away ..." "Could've been worse, chica," Miguel grinned, helping Cathy carry Shawan. "Of course, they WOULD take out our teleporter ..." "Even if he's not cleared to 'port any of us," Danny mused, following the others back onto the street. "He's still getting the hang of his grav-power." "None of us is perfect," Shara teased. "Beargirl strikes again -" Danny heard the bullets before they hit the others. She cried out once as a slug creased her side, knocking her to the sidewalk, and rolled with the impact as she'd been taught in the Danger Room. #Whoshotdirectionmysenses'restillworkingLOOKGIRLTHEOTHERS-# Danny tried to look up, but her nose told her the others were already dead. They lay in growing pools of blood, while the gangers cackled or howled behind them. "One still breathin'," Blue Mohawk sneered. Danny heard the hammer being cocked, tried to summon the bear - - but gasped when Blue Mohawk's chest erupted in red. "GET AWAY FROM HER !" a man yelled. Blue figures surrounded Danny, and a face gave her soothing words. #No,# she wanted to reply, darkness consuming her sight. #The others -# The oxygen mask was her last conscious memory. ------------------------------------------------------ That was the last straw. I'd tried to make a go of it in Idaho - the ranch was secluded, supposed to be safe, etc., etc. everything the mansion and the New Mutants hadn't been. I was a naive little twit. Four good, decent people were cut down because we were in the wrong place and some crazy punks with powers and 'tude were pissed. As soon as my healing factor dealt with the bullet, I tore out the IV and stormed out of the hospital, wearing nothing but my natural fur coat. (Bad joke.) I think I remember throwing one of the Bedlam Brothers to the ground in the ranch office and snarling something about "you pantywaist loser idiots can't protect us anymore than Xavier could" - blah blah blah, grieve whine moan. No place is safe anymore. Not unless you know how to fight. And besides, the Mutants still care ... ... I hope. I had another teleporter ripslide me to Greymalkin Lane. I need to walk to the mansion, let my head clear a little - - and remember. Shawan Michaels, 14, gravity manipulator from Trenton. Polite, kind, wanted to make something of himself - maybe as an express shipping tycoon. Cathy Daystar, 13, animal-specific telepath, from Cheyenne. A little blunt, but she was always there for me when I woke up from a nightmare - and she talked me down when the bear got loose. Miguel Riviera, 13, acid-generator from Phoenix. Street kid, a little brash, but nice too. He was our practical joker. And Shara Takahashi, 13, metal-shard-projector from Honolulu. Sweet, almost naive, but always there for us. Four mutants, four people, shot dead like animals. Not again. I can't sit on the sidelines. I ran from Xavier's dream, but it's the only answer - Magneto did the same thing, I hear, and he'll get dragged down too. Erik ... God, I hope you wake up. The price of sleeping is death these days. Pretty Goth for a country girl, huh ? Enough, I tell myself. I wipe my eyes, put my diary back in my bag, and head for the front gate ... - 2/7/04, Danny Davies ------------------------------------------------------ She held her palm to the front gate scanner, smirking as it let her pass. #Like they were expecting me,# Danny mused, pushing black hair out of her eyes. She unlocked the front door with a retinal and palmprint scan, closing it and looking around in the gloom with her infravision. #That's funny - I smell Joe,# she thought, heading upstairs to find a guest room. #But he smells - off, somehow ... sour ...# "Joe ?" Danny whispered, her eyes narrowing as a boxer-clad male form approached in the moonlit hall - - and a mindbolt slammed into her psiscreens. "DAMNIT !" Joe snarled, watching Danny double over in pain. "Everyone should be asleep - I was counting on this body getting me past Summers and Richards -" "And give you a run to Aidan ? I don't THINK so," Danny replied, hissing as she let her bag fall to the floor. "Let's try this again, whoever you are." "A girl ... ? Excellent. I can't stand male bodies anyhow," "Joe" grinned. He slumped to the floor, unconscious, and Danny smelled an ozone-like disturbance in the air. #Astral form - Joe was possessed - double up your mindscreens, girl-# She screamed when icy, diseased fingers pierced her defenses, but slammed the alarm button nearby before trying to fight off the attack. ~Ooh, aren't WE the tough one ?~ a mocking, older female voice taunted in her mind. ~Suffer, little girl - ~ ~BURN.~ Danny fell backwards, panting, as a talon of flame grabbed her attacker and held the entity aloft. "Uhm, hi, guys," Danny smiled weakly as Ray, Frank and the other residents flooded the hallway. "DANNY !" Naomi cheered, hugging her. "Ya OK ?" "No," Danny admitted, standing and letting the other Mutants greet her. "But it's a little better, being here." "What'd you catch ?" Frank asked Ray. "Who," Ray growled, drawing the entity closer and squeezing. "TALK." A female outline appeared, hate visible in her eyes. ~Screw you, little girl,~ it mocked. ~Oh, I'm sorry, Richards DID that. You know Sinister won't stop until he has the brat you birthed. prison or no prison !~ ~MALICE,~ Ray psnarled. ~I should -~ She grinned when Xavier held a psi-bottle beneath Malice, drawing the Marauder into it and locking her away. "As detestable as Malice is, Rachel, we cannot stoop to her level," Xavier reminded the girl. "Maybe not, sir, but we have to remain on better guard," Frank sighed, putting an arm around Ray as they walked back to their room. "Uggh ... that wasn't Gail," Joe groaned, letting Erik help him back to his room. "I feel sick ..." "Medlab - or bathroom," Erik gulped, helping Joe down the hall. Xavier looked at Danny and asked, "Daniela,, you seem troubled ... ?" "Mindscan me," Danny said quietly. Xavier did so, his hand going to his mouth. "You - child, I am so sorry," he whispered. "As I told Rachel, though, we are not here for revenge." "I don't want revenge, Prof," Danny sighed, picking up her bag and following Naomi to her new dorm room. "I want to live." ------------------------------------------------------ NEXT: At last - the adventures of Cynosure and Photovolt ! (Or, Mel and Dave's origins ...) ------------------------------------------------------ end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com