psinex@yahoo.com Blood and Iron Chapter 1 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: Everyone here is Marvel's, except for Steve, who's mine, and Buffy, Giles, and co., who're 20th Century Fox's. Please don't sue. -------------------------------------------------------- Massachusetts Academy, Snow Valley, Mass.: 8/29/2003: 16:07 hrs EDT: -------------------------------------------------------- "GNAAAAH !" Ray looked at Nate with a horrified expression and helped him sit on a quad bench. Buffy and Erik knelt beside them, and Buffy asked, "Nate, what - Ray ... ?" "It was Steve," Nate said, tears in his eyes. "Something BAD'S happened - guys, we shouldn't've let him go - we need to -" "Ye need t' relax a bit, laddie," Sean Cassidy called, walking over to them with a concerned expression. He shook Erik's hand and smiled faintly, asking, "How're ye, lad ?" "OK, Uncle Sean - what about Steve ?" Erik asked, concern in his tone. Sean's face tightened, and he said, "We got a call from Storm's team. Th' Marauders captured Steven an' Scott, but Jean freed 'em." "WHAT !?" the kids yelled. "Something else happened, Uncle Sean," Nate pleaded. "Steve - he -" "Sinister ... put somethin' in his head," Sean began, taking a deep breath. "He's still Steven - Sinister didnae brainwash him -" "WHO GIVES A RAT'S ASS !" Nate screamed, psi-fire flaming from his left eye. "He's my TWIN - we just let him alone -" "Nate, NATE - listen to me, OK ?" Buffy demanded. Nate looked at her, then sobbed and let Buffy hug him. "Steve's OK - we heard that - let's just wait and see until Mom and Dad get here," Buffy asked. Nate nodded, mumbling an apology to Sean, and headed for the boys' dorm. "I'll go keep an eye on him," Erik sighed. "I'll power up Cerebro and try to contact Mom and Dad," Ray frowned, running to the psi-lab. Sean and Buffy looked at each other, and began to walk. "Buffy, I ken why Giles's joined th' staff," Sean said. "I'll be blunt: I dinnae want ye t'go lookin' f'r trouble around here without backup. Snow Valley's already a supernatural nexus w'out havin' a bonafide Slayer on campus." "I understand, Uncle Sean," Buffy said, meeting Sean's eyes. "I have a lot to learn about being the Slayer before I can even begin. I promise, I won't compromise the school." "'M nae concerned 'bout that - after we exposed Adrienne, we ended th' human enrollment, an' ye're a very bright lass," Sean smiled. "Just enjoy yuir childhood while ye have it, Buffy. Our kind doesnae do that enough, I think." He headed for the main office, while Buffy looked after him with a sigh. "What kind am I ?" she asked no one in particular. -------------------------------------------------------- "WHAT THE HELL !?" Ray cursed far worse as she saw Cerebro's parts set around the room in orderly fashion. A pair of jeans-clad legs stuck out from underneath the console, and a male voice called, "Sorry. I was just finishing the recalibration of the main emitter." "Hey ... Scrap ? Is that you ?" Ray asked, smiling despite herself. A grease-smeared blond boy in a tank top crawled out from underneath the array and stood, grinning as he hugged Rachel. "God, it's good to see you !" Frank smiled. They kissed, and Frank said, "I heard about Steve. I'll get it hooked back up - I hope he'll be OK." "Thanks," Ray said. She smiled again, watching Frank bend over, and thought, #If the sitch was a little different, that'd be a very pinchable -# "RayohAgonIheardaboutSteveisheOK?" Ray turned to greet a nervous-looking Luna Maximoff and Alexa Wagner at the door. "I haven't heard. Thanks, though," Ray said, squeezing Luna's hand. The younger, blond girl said, "We're all thinking of him. Right, Alexa ?" "Of course," Alexa nodded, blue locks hanging in her face. "Ray, you should know there'll be a lot of new students coming in. Luna, why don't you share the good news ?" "Oh yeah !" Luna said, smiling. "You know how we all thought my twin cousins were never real ? It turns out Aunt Wanda was just freaking out after Uncle Art - the Vision ? - got disassembled, and she hid the boys with Bova !" "WHAT !" Ray and Frank yelled. "That's great - I mean, it's nuts, but it's great !" Ray smiled. "Are they here yet ?" "Right here - and hello, classmate," a Slavic-tinged voice called from the other door. Ray turned to see two identical boys, with short reddish-brown hair and blue eyes, standing there. One was grinning and winking at Ray, while the other smiled politely and waved. "I'm Tobias, and this is Malachi," the polite one said. "We were called Tom and Bill, but Mom decided we needed new names to protect us from the government." "Nice to meet you," Ray said. "I'm Rachel Summers, and the grease monkey over here is Frank Richards." "Hey," Frank called, connecting parts at a fast rate. Ray 'pathed him and asked, ~Couldn't you just boost my TP ?~ Frank looked at her fearfully and whispered, "Are you NUTS !? I could burn your brain out, you know that ! Ray, I'm sorry, but until I get better control, I can't use my powers on other people except in real emergencies ..." Ray squeezed his hand and nodded, mouthing, "I understand. I'm sorry." "It's OK," Frank sighed. "I'm sorry I can't help you that way yet ..." They looked in each other's eyes a moment longer, and Frank coughed before turning back to finish reassembling Cerebro. "There we are - HOLY CRAP !" he yelled, as the main screen lit up with a massive mutant power signature. "Let's see who we've got here ... oh my God," Alexa gasped, dropping the printout. She clutched her sides and moaned, "HER ..." "Who - oh no," Ray gulped, checking the printout. "PROGUEUS ..." -------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere else .... -------------------------------------------------------- Ah am power. Ah am chaos. Ah am damned. Ah float above th' Earth, a symbiont of psi-death an' Southern terror. Ah accepted Kevin MacTaggart int' me when Muir Island was incinerated by Legion, an' somehow ah c'n keep from bein' burned out by Kev. But it ain't 'nough. He needs t'be kept fed. An' mah absorption power makes me a perfect keeper f'r the beast. Ah gotta admit, it's nice t'be immortal an' fairly close t'omnipotent. But it's damnation ev'ry time ah suck another victim dry. An' HE stalks me. Guilt-driven ? Ain't his fault. Ah don't even know him that well. All ah know is that he tries t'save me. Calls h'mself 'Th' Witness.' Cain't 'magine it's me he witnessed. Darn cute, though. Too bad Kevin's th' one runnin' th show. F'r now. -------------------------------------------------------- Snow Valley: -------------------------------------------------------- "Nate, it wasn't your fault," Erik pleaded through the door to Nate's dorm room. The door swung open, and Nate glared at Erik before finally sighing in resignation. "Fine," Nate muttered, falling onto his bed. "But Steve's still out there, and here we are, screwin' around." "Leech doesn't see any screws," a voice called from the hallway. Erik smiled, waving Leech, Artie and an Asian boy into the room. "This is Leong Coy Mahn," Leech said, introducing the third boy. "Half of Template - my sister Nga and I can sculpt flesh," Leong said proudly. "Of course, it's one of those suckass powers that only works fully when we're holding each other's hands ... I can only heal when I'm alone." "Healing's a cool power," Erik said. Artie flashed a psionogram of a Red Cross symbol, and Leong smiled faintly. "Thanks, Artie," the black-haired boy said. "You guys wanna get a game going - b-ball or something ?" "Sounds like a plan - Nate, you in ?" Erik asked. "Not right n - THEY'RE HERE !" Nate yelled. He teked the window open and flew to the ground, running across the quad to where a Blackbird had landed. Its' hatch opened, drawing people from across campus. Buffy, Ray and Erik caught up with Nate and ran to hug Jean and a dressed Scott as they disembarked. "Thank God," Jean whispered. "Mom, where's - OH MY GOD !" Ray gasped. The other kids looked at the ramp, their eyes widening in shock. "Uhm, hi, guys ... ?" Steve, dressed in a miniature X-Men uniform, smiled weakly. His blond hair was incredibly short, and Nate moaned when he saw a socket in the left side of his twin's head. "Bro, what HAPPENED ?!" Nate cried, running to Steve. "I'm OK - sort of," Steve smiled sadly. ~See ?~ ~You're a 'path - but - !?~ Nate sent. Steve shared his tale with his siblings, and the kids hugged him for a moment. "We love you, OK ? Don't EVER forget that," Ray sniffed. "That - if Mom DIDN'T kill Sinister, I WILL," Erik snarled. "You're gonna stay, right ?" Nate pleaded. "Can I ... ?" Steve asked, looking at Emma. She nodded and said, "I ... apologize, Steven. Perhaps if I'd let you come earlier ... " "Screw blame," Erik hissed. "SINISTER MUST DIE." "I already took care of that, hon," Jean reassured her foster son. The Summers and Erik headed for the medlab, but Sean and Emma traded a nervous look. "Ye think ... ?" Sean whispered. "At least his rage is directed in a proper direction," Emma shrugged. "All I sense with a passive scan is concern for his foster family. What I'm more worried about is that scan of Progueus which Cerebro detected. Is Moira safe ?" "Aye - Kitty an' Pete went back t' Braddock Manor after Kitty helped save Steven," Sean said. "They forwarded a message from Moira, sayin' she was goin' t'ground." He clenched his fists and snarled, "She shouldnae have t'live like this ...!" "I agree," Emma said. She looked oddly at Erik and added, "Maybe she won't have to for long ..." -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: The student body assembles, Giles and Emma's past explained, and Buffy gets a surprising midnight visitor ... who she WANTS to see ? -------------------------------------------------------- end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com