Disclaimer: I don't own any of X-men or Dark Angel. ('Cept Ella and Marie, cos I made them up!) But I wont get any money for it, so it doesn't actually make any difference….
Note: Hmm, another experiment. Please give it a chance. DA comes in properly next chapter. Please review. I put it in DA section cos I had to choose, and hey, I picked DA. So… enjoy
----------------------
My life has never been easy. Ah've spent it running, hiding, fighting and crying ever since Ah can remember. Ah try so hard to live up to my mamma's name, and to use my gifts to help those who are helpless. But it is so hard to live your life fighting to protect those who hate you for what y'are, even though they know damn well the people they want dead have saved their miserable lives more times than they can count. See, however you put it, people are always afraid of things that are different. A friend of my mamma's told me when Ah was a child something that has suck with me my whole life, whether Ah wanted it to or not:- 'with great power comes great responsibility.' Far as Ah see it, that's all well an' good 'til you realise that the responsibility is to people who'd rather see you dead. Right now Ah'm more concerned about keeping my ass alive and dealing with the people around me, who see me as my mamma's daughter. My responsibility is to them before anyone else, whether Ah want it or not.
The girl sighed deeply and headed back inside. She tied her thick, reddish-brown hair back in a rough ponytail and prepared to face the music. As she walked through the ripe smelling room, she felt her heart wrench at all the pain she knew these people had suffered. But still they held to the name of their predecessors. They still put their lives on the line just like her. She shook her head clear and entered the office at the end of the room.
"Sarah, hey." she smiled. "How're we doing?"
"Hey kiddo." The woman sitting by the window smiled at the girl she'd know since she was born. "Not so good I'm afraid. We need supplies, Rie. We need electricity, we need food… we need to find somewhere else." She sighed.
"Ah know." The girl rested her head in her hands as she sat down. "But where? We have no one to help us… the institute is long gone… where can we go?"
"I dunno. Sorry sweetie." The girl felt tears well in her eyes, but held them back.
"Ah just wish… Ah wish Mamma were here." She breathed.
"I know." Sarah moved to the girl's side. "We will find her, Marie, I promise."
"Ah know." Marie said. "But until then, all these people expect me to be as strong as her. But Ah ain't, Sarah… Ah never will be!" Sarah smiled slightly, as Maries voice, which was always tinged with her mother's southern accent, got thicker in her frustration.
"Course you will. Your mother is an amazing person, Marie, and your father too, even though some would say otherwise. You have strong blood, kid, and I know you have her spirit. You'll do fine." Sarah squeezed Marie's hand. "So what do you want me to do, kiddo?" Marie sighed.
"Ah… y'all will think this is dumb." Sarah shook her head and urged the young girl to continue. "Ah wanna check out these rumors we've heard, y'know, 'bout transgenics?" Sarah raised her eyebrows,
"Aren't they just rumors, hun?"
"Ah don't think so. Ah just wanna know for sure, k? Cos if it's true, then they'd be allies, Sarah; they might be able to help."
"Ok." Sarah looked around. "It's damn dark in here, even for my eyes." Marie smiled.
"Pass that candle."
"I don't have any matches." Sarah told her as she passed it to her. She saw a glint in the girls eye as she smiled again,
"No matter." She set the candle on the table and clicked her fingers round the wick. A flame flickered to life in a spark of kinetic energy. "Thanks, Papa." She said quietly.
A little while later, Marie left the small room, and looked around for the friend she'd agreed to take with her on her little reconnaissance mission. Seeing her on the far side of the next room, Marie called out to her,
"Hey, Ella!" the dark haired girl looked up, grinned, and leapt across the room. As she took off, her entire body took on a transformation, using new muscles to propel her in an elegant arc to land at the feet of her friend. Then the huge panther melted back into human form.
"S'up, Rie?" Marie chuckled at her friend and beckoned for her to follow her through to another empty room.
"We gotta do something, El."
"Excellent. What kinda something?"
"Y'know what we were discussing earlier?"
"Wicked! Sarah cleared ya?" Ella's eyes lit up in excitement.
"Ah never needed her to clear it." Marie said.
"I know… but you wanted her to." Marie smiled at her friends ability to read her.
"Anyway. We head to Seattle at night fall."
"Seattle!? That dump!? I 'least thought we'd go somewhere cool."
Marie laughed,
"That's where all this is s'posed to be going down, so that's where we go." Ella grimaced,
"We taking the jet?"
"Uh-uh. The others might need it." Ella groaned,
"So we're going the other way then?"
Marie grinned,
"Oh yeah."
"Why'd your Mum have to give you that too? Surely the strength and sh*t was enough? Why give a maniac that sorta power?" Marie elbowed her friend,
"Hey! I am not a maniac!"
"When it comes to that you are." The two girls left, laughing together.
That night, dressed from head to toe in black, the two girls headed to the roof. Marie slung a large rucksack onto her back and put on her red-tinted shades. Ella tied back her hair and put on her shades too. She had on a permanent mocking frown. Marie giggled.
"Ok, people. Fasten your seat belts and hold onto your asses. The nine O'clock flight from New York to Seattle is now ready for take off." Ella rolled her eyes and clipped on the harness that held her to Marie. She stood in front of her, facing away, and Marie wrapped her arms around her, saying, "Brace yourself girl, 'cos The Firefly just spread her wings." Despite all her moaning, Ella whooped loudly as they shot into the sky.