Savage 1/16 Author: Timo A. Nieminen Date: 1998/02/19 Forum: alt.comics.fan-fiction "Coming in" Savage part 1 of 16 ======================================= Standard disclaimer: Many of these characters are the property of Marvel Comics. Otherwise this work is in the public domain. Distribute freely. It is rumored that a hideous rotting disease will claim the lives of any who seek to make a profit from it, or falsely claim it as their own work. Let me know if you want to archive it. Suggestions for the rest of the title are welcome. Thanks to Gary for the inspiration (No, I won't finish yours!). Rated PG (language, violence, adult situations) Timo Nieminen timo@physics.uq.edu.au ********************** Things seemed to happen in slow motion. It had started so innocently. A routine mission, stemming from a news report, inspiring a quick overflight of the Savage Land to lay suspicions to rest. But now it seemed that those suspicions had been close enough to the truth to draw a strong response. The events of the last ten hours flashed through her mind. The spear and bow-wielding men who'd started a minor crisis by mysteriously appearing and claiming to be on the run from Magneto. Somehow, they became involved in robbing a bank in Manhattan, and before the X-Men could find out more, they ended up in secure custody. And the X-Men could hardly ask to see the prisoners. Still, from their accents and dress, the men were from the Savage Land. That, the X-Men could check. Of course, they wouldn't find Magneto, since he was currently the newest member of the team. Without memories of his past, but, nonetheless, Magneto. Or Joseph as he was being called now. A routine flight (many hours) to the Savage Land just to make sure, with the whole team, just in case. Rogue had sat just behind Storm and Wolvie, with music just short of making her ears ring on her discman. By the time they reached the Savage Land, she was on her second book. Something had made her look up, just in time to see the hair on Wolverine's neck starting to rise, and his lips start to part in a snarl, as his forearms flexed from old reflexes. And then he and Storm had vanished in a flash of light. Rogue stood up, snapping her seat-belt casually. Behind her, she saw Iceman and Dazzler just looking up from their conversation, and Joseph peering out of a window at the landscape. Three steps forward and into the pilot's seat. The plane was already starting to drop, she saw, the airspeed dropping too low. {Huh? We're not slowing down; I'd feel it!} thought Rogue, as she looked out the cockpit windows and saw the trees far too close. "Iceman! Give us an airbag now! Joseph! Try to hold us up! We're goin' down." The plane started clipping the treetops, and Rogue shut down the engines. {Ah shit! We're not going anywhere with that stuff going through the engines.} She could see Joseph's power extending around the front of the plane. {Good.} But now they were out of control, and starting to hit the trees hard. Rogue's eyes widened as a large trunk appeared in front of the windscreen. The plane hit it, and almost stopped. The impact pushed Rogue onto the controls, closely followed by her discman bouncing off her head. The plane dropped to the ground and stopped. The rear of the plane was full of snow. From within, muffled squawking told Rogue that Dazzler had at least survived the experience. Tendrils of magnetic force reached out from the snow and opened the main roof doors, and Joseph flew up out of the snow. Iceman struggled to the surface, helping Dazzler out. A smile was on his face as he listened to her. "What the hell did you think you were doing? I'm wet, I'm cold!" "You're alive too," he interrupted. "We crashed." Rogue added "Joseph, good catch! Can you get rid of that snow before it melts in here?" Later, outside, the four assessed the situation. "What a mess! Ain't goin' nowhere, not without a hell of a lot o' work. An' we need to find Storm and Wolvie." "But Rogue," said Bobby, "how could it happen? Why did we crash?" "Well, Ah reckon we crashed 'cause Storm and Wolvie were checking out somethin' interesting. They wanted to slow down, Storm was keeping the plane up with her winds. Rest's history. I dunno how or why or where they vanished to. All I saw was a bright flash o' light." "Rogue," asked Joseph, "does that mean that we were not meant to crash?" "Maybe. Maybe not. Anyway, we know that Storm and Wolvie must have been interested in something near here. You see anything, Joseph?" "I saw a village that way," he said, pointing, "but we were turning away from it. It can't far away. I could look." "Maybe. But if they could do that to Storm and Wolvie, maybe it ain't such a great idea. An' we weren't goin' that way, so maybe there ain't nothin' there. Might be more inclined to answer questions than the bad guys though. Sounds good, but we should all go. Won't take us long. What've we got here?" Bobby thought for a while. "MREs for eight people for three days, that's twenty-four. First aid kit. Fire extinguishers. Crash survival kit, knives, fish-hooks, things like that I suppose. Rubber boat. Coffee, sandwiches." "Okay, guys. Two MREs each, Joseph, you carry a first aid kit. Lock the plane up too. We ain't goin' far, so we don't need much. Can't hurt to be safe though, in case somethin' happens. Joe, carry the stuff in that backpack." Soon they were on their way. Rogue flying in front, Dazzler and Iceman on an ice slide, Joseph flying above them. Soon, they might have some answers to their questions. -end of part 1- -- Timo Nieminen - timo@physics.uq.edu.au Home page: http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/people/nieminen/nieminen.html Spirits: http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/people/nieminen/spirits.html Shrine to Suds: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Venue/4960/beer.htm Wine: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Arena/2010/