psinex@yahoo.com Blood and Iron Chapter 5 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: Everyone here is Marvel's, except for Steve, who's mine, and Buffy and Co., who're 20th Century Fox's. Please don't sue. -------------------------------------------------------- Mass. Acad. Medlab: 9/10/2003: 15:00 hrs EDT: -------------------------------------------------------- "OCH !" Moira jumped a good foot in the air when someone set a hand on her shoulder. "Think ye c'n get away with tryin' t'scare th' - GOOD LORD! " she shrieked, turning to see who had approached her. "Um, hi," Steve Summers smiled nervously. "My folks said I should come and have you check me out, Dr. Cassidy ... ?" "STEVEN !!" Moira cheered, hugging the boy. She stifled a frown when Steve didn't hug her back immediately. "I'm sorry ... a lot of my memories're still dim," Steve said, looking into Moira's eyes as they separated. "Nae, laddie. 'M sorry f'r rushin' ye - t'is just that ye an' yuir family're like children an' grandchildren t'me," Moira said gently. "Come - let's get ye scanned, then." Steve nodded, swallowing hard as he removed his skinsuit and lay back on an exam table. #At least I don't hafta be naked ... an' she's nicer'n Sinister ....# The boy shuddered, and tried not to flinch when Moira ran a passive bioscanner over his body. #Lord, he's showin' classic signs o' trauma,# she thought. #Maybe this wasnae -# "NOOOOOOO ...." Moira deactivated the scanner and ran to hug Steve before he broke out sobbing. "I-it was like this ... wh-when he ..." the boy cried. "Oh God - Stevie !" Jean called, entering with Scott, Sean and Emma. "Mom - I remember more - I remember you an' Dad - an' when Sinister put the implant in - an' when - oh GOD ..." Steve cried. Moira let the Summers take Steve aside, and looked at Sean and Emma with a sick gaze. "Tell me Sinister died horribly, accushla - f'r if he didnae, I'LL hunt down th' bodach an' garroch him m'self !" the Highlander snarled. "Some mystery man with energy powers wiped Sinister an' his Marauders from th' world, croi o' mo croi," Sean said, hugging Moira. "Scott told me he took Rogue t'be cared f'r - somethin' about th' man seemed safe t'them, or they wouldnae hae entrusted Rogue t'him." "I hope they're right," Emma muttered, looking as Steve finished crying and let go of his parents. She smiled faintly and added, "Steven's psi-signature is ... brighter. A bit." "I feel better, Ms. Frost," Steve nodded, blushing as he looked down at himself. "I gotta get some real underwear, though." "What, G-strings aren't haute couture ?" Emma snickered. The adults glared at her, and Steve gulped, "Malice made me wear it ..." "Oh. Bad me," Emma winced. -------------------------------------------------------- Boys' Dorm: 15:23 hrs: -------------------------------------------------------- #That's better,# Steve thought after he'd showered and changed into boxers. He looked at himself in the mirror and noticed how wiry he'd become. #Great. I finally bulk up and it's on the 'World Domination for Fun and Profit' workout plan,# the boy thought bitterly, donning jeans and a T-shirt. #I wonder where everyone else is at ... ?# "Dude, I'm tellin' ya, that last - STEVE !?" Steve jumped as a brown-and-white haired boy entered the bathroom with a huge grin, followed by a pair of blond boys, an Asian youth and a boy with silver hair. "Uhm, hi - wait -" Steve said, looking intently at the first boy. "I know you ..." "I'm your - aw, DAMN that Sinister ! He mindwiped you, didn't he !?" the brown-haired boy moaned. His left eye lit up, and Steve smiled slowly before asking, "Nate ... ?" "YES ! Steve, twinner - it's me, don't force it man, Mom an' Dad told me not t'make you try to remember too much too fast -!" Nate blurted, taking Steve by the shoulders. ~Here - here's some memories,~ Nate sent, opening his mind to Steve's telepathic query. The boys gasped, and Steve felt like someone had - TWISTED - the base of his mind - - ~NATE !!!" The other boys smiled as the twins hugged, promptly releasing each other with a blush. "Dillweed - y'r gonna make me look gay," Nate muttered. "You do that all by yourself, glow-eye," Steve snickered. "Yep, he's back," Erik cackled, watching his foster brothers horse around and head outside. ~Serious, dude, I missed ya,~ Nate sent as they crashed on their respective beds in their dorm room. ~I scan - man, it's great to see you !~ Steve psmiled. ~Where was everyone ?~ "Science lab," Nate muttered, rolling his eyes. He gulped and added, "You had enough of that, I bet ... if you wanna talk ..." "Soon. But not yet, OK ? Please ?" Steve asked, looking at the floor. "Sure, bro," Nate nodded. "However fast or slow you need t'recover." "It'll be faster now that I remember again," Steve smiled. "Hey, where're -" ~STEVIE !!!~ Ray psicalled. Steve bolted downstairs, flinging open the door to the boys' dorm and letting Ray and Buffy tackle him in a hug. "OOH ! We missed you so much, you little goof !" Ray squealed. "You're NOT a monster - trust me, I'm learning the warning signs - please please PLEASE don't go away again !" Buffy demanded. "I won't," Steve smiled, wiping his eyes. "You guys're great - I missed you too - Buffy, you're ... diff'rent. Bumpier." Buffy undid her leather jacket zipper and smirked as she displayed a series of wooden stakes arrayed inside it. "A girl can't go out and hunt monsters unprepared," she smiled. -------------------------------------------------------- Quad: 21:12 hrs: -------------------------------------------------------- "The constellations are beautiful." Erik looked up from his telescope and smiled as Sarah sat beside him, tossing a bone shard from hand to hand. "Sorry if it's macabre - I'm getting used to having these critters pop out at the worst times," the girl said, her rose skin hiding her nervous blush. #He is SUCH a hottie,# she thought, accepting a cup of hot chocolate from Erik. "Each bone is unique, like the stars," Erik said. #She IS cute - kinda shy,# he thought. #Not like Alexa ...# An image of blue-furred, golden-eyed beauty hovered before the boy, but he shoved it down and looked at Sarah. Her pink hair and soft rose skin were illuminated by the magnetic field he generated to see by. "You do a lot of stargazing ?" Sarah asked. "When I was younger, Dad'd - Mr. Summers - take me out at night and let me look through his telescope," Erik said. "It got to be a hobby - kind of like my rock music." "You're pretty stompin' with that axe," Sarah smiled. "I heard you during music class the other day." "Thanks," Erik blushed. #PUT OUT THE FIELD SO SHE DOESN'T SEE YOU BLUSH, DUMBASS!# he told himself, powering down. "You ever see the stars ?" Erik continued. "After I got out of the tunnels," Sarah said. "I was 5 or 6 when this French guy rescued me from the Marauders. He gave me to my dad - you know, Dr. McCoy ? - with Leech and Artie. Daddy let me look through his telescope at the Institute, and sometimes Uncle Sam'd fly me high so I could see above the clouds." "The first Muties must've been cool to hang with," Erik said. "They're so nice," Sarah smiled. "Even Uncle Bobby - Aunt Amara never lets him get too rude. We don't see 'em too often anymore, now that they're X-Force." "At least the feds leave 'em alone," Erik sighed. "The X-Men still get the hairy eyeball, and X-Factor keep tellin' me they don't feel safe. And the mutant teams've gone legit !" "People don't trust mutants like they do enhanced humans," a voice boomed from above. Erik shielded Sarah and stood, snarling, "WHO ARE YOU !? SINISTER !?" "Don't insult me, Erik," the voice - coming from a huge sphere of blue light - replied curtly. "I'm not really surprised you fail to realize who I am. But we have business." Sarah gasped when Rogue and Gambit fell onto the lawn, and Erik was yanked into the sphere with a yell. Gambit looked up in shock and yelled, "New Son ! Wait ! He not dat person an'more !" "Oh mah God," Rogue gasped as the sphere winked out. "Remy, we gotta get Scott an' Jean - if th' New Son goes too far - " "Merde," Gambit muttered, standing. He stood, but gaped when his eyes met Sarah's. "You ..." the girl whispered, dropping to one knee. "MY SAVIOR !" -------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere ... else: -------------------------------------------------------- Erik stood, finding himself in the center of a room full of technological curiosities. He looked behind him and arched an eyebrow at a masked figure sitting in a thronelike chair. "Welcome to my web," the man - at least that was who it sounded like to Erik - said bemusedly. He wore a red-colored skintight suit with a purple cape, and a featureless red helmet. "How do you see out of that thing ?" Erik frowned. The man chuckled and said, "Curious as ever. I never doubted you'd lose THAT trait. But I agree - let the games end." He stood and said, "I've been called the New Son for nearly 20 years, Erik. And in that time, I never quite expected to find you younger than I. But you've got the courage I need - the idealism, I suspect - to lead ALL Earth's children into the future." Erik just gaped when the New Son removed his helmet, revealing a young man with piercing blue eyes and short brown hair split by a shock of white. "Hello, Father," New Son said. "I'm Charles Xavier Lehnsherr. Your prodigal has come home at last." -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: Everything you wanted to know about the New Son, but were afraid to ask ... -------------------------------------------------------- end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com